Refugee Week, a festival that celebrates the diversity brought by migrants, is coming to Lisbon, Leiria, Porto, and CovilhĂŁ from June 16 to 22. The event, originally founded in the UK in 1998, aims to highlight the contributions, creativity, and resilience of refugees and asylum seekers.
A Festival Born from Necessity
Organizers MoYah, a rapper who fled the civil war in Mozambique, and Carlota Matos, a Portuguese performance artist, met in the UK. They noticed a gap in Portugal where migrant communities and associations were not connecting. "Despite the significant work by migrant communities, people don't know about each other," Matos explains. The duo decided to bring Refugee Week to Portugal to bridge these gaps and foster integration.
Celebrating Through Art and Food
The festival will feature a variety of events, including picnics, concerts, cinema, workshops, and poetry readings. "Any event that brings people together is welcome," says Matos. The highlight will be a community picnic on June 21 at Jardins do Bombarda, featuring performances by musicians from Bangladesh, Algeria, and Zimbabwe.
A Global Movement
Refugee Week is now celebrated in over 15 countries, with the UK event attracting 1.6 million people last year. According to the UNHCR, over 120 million people are displaced worldwide due to persecution, conflict, and human rights violations. In Portugal, the Portuguese Council for Refugees has assisted nearly 14,500 people since 1999, with 2,273 asylum applications registered in 2024.
How to Get Involved
Events are open to all, and proposals can be submitted until the last day of the festival. "We accept any event that aligns with our values," Matos emphasizes. So far, 28 events are confirmed, with more expected to join.
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