The Migration Matters Festival in Sheffield will allow migrants and refugees to celebrate their culture and heritage creatively.
The festival, set up by the charity ‘Arts on the Run’, will take place from run from the 21st to 28th of June.
One participant in the festival expressed that it ‘is a really important part of Sheffield culture because Sheffield was the first city of sanctuary.’
The talent on display will vary between dance, film, music, art, poetry, and creative writing workshops, which are due to run throughout the event.
Amongst those featuring their creativity is multi-award winning illustrator and performer Madeleina Kay, from London. Her art exhibition, ‘Kaleidentity’, explores the identity of ten migrants she met on a tour of Europe in 2019, which was funded by the ‘Democracy Needs Imagination’ grant.
She said: “A lot of the narratives in the media kind of demonise migrants and I really wanted to just celebrate their identities.”
Kay’s oil paintings and lino cut prints depict the individual identities of the migrants she met, and she says that the project was ‘an act of love’ to them.
Kay describes herself as being in a ‘facilitating role’ to the migrants who she has based her exhibition on, describing it as a ‘co-creation’ between her and them. She says the participants influenced the artistic choices she made.
One of her participants, Marcelo, said: “I think it’s more than just an art project and a piece of research, it’s a cosmic gift.”
Kay now wishes to publish a book detailing the migrants’ lives and experiences alongside her artwork.
Other events include a performance by the ‘One World Choir’, a choir set up for asylum seekers in Sheffield, and a community lunch at Ammi’s Kitchen, where you can try authentic food cooked by local migrant women.
Events will take place across various locations, including The Moor, Common Ground Community Centre, The Art House and Soft Ground, and The Crucible theatre, where comedians such as Fatiha El-Ghorri and Esther Manito are set to perform.