This Saturday our work with Citizens Theatre exploring ‘belonging’ will culminate in a two hour celebration of poetry, song and dance from around the world.
Blog by Marco Biagini, Refugee Week Scotland Creative Intern.
Since January we’ve been working with the Citizens Theatre Learning Department to bring together participants to explore the concept of ‘belonging’ through poetry, song and storytelling – universal languages that everyone can understand regardless of race or creed.
Vibrant creativity
This weekly workshop has welcomed local people, refugees and asylum seekers from all over Glasgow to participate. The result is an amazingly vibrant melting pot of creativity. No suggestions are ignored and every participant shares their culture through songs, poems or dance.
To me, the energy in the group is unparalleled. Nobody is afraid to speak out, or even spontaneously start dancing and singing in their mother tongue (often to the complete, but pleasant, surprise of the other group members and coordinators!). These are real voices sharing real stories, uninhibited by protocol or rules.
Multi-cultural Celebration
The result is a kind of organised chaos, sewn together by Citzens drama experts Elly Goodman and Neil Packham with the invaluable contribution of Zimbabwean poet Tawona Sitholé.
The continual flow of freeform creativity has been gradually harnessed and moulded into a 2 hour multi-cultural celebration named ”Belong’, which will take place this Saturday, 15 March, 4.30-6.30pm at the Citizens Theatre, prior to the Citizens main stage production ‘Refugee Boy’ by Lemn Sissay. There will be food, fashion, music, singing, poetry, storytelling.
‘Refugee Boy’
Belong draws inspiration on Lemn Sissay’s stage show, ‘Refugee Boy‘ (based on a novel of the same name by Benjamin Zephaniah) which addresses the issues of belonging, welcome and identity. ‘Belong’ directly works with the asylum seekers, refugees and local people who are affected the most, offering an equal opportunity for self-expression through any means possible.
Tickets
‘Belong’ is free of charge, and open to everyone and anyone.
Saturday 15 March 2014 @ 4:30 – 6.30pm
Tickets are free – if you would like to go along book online or call 0141 429 0022.
‘Refugee Boy’ will show at the Citizens directly following ‘Belong’. Tickets must be booked separately:
12- 15 March 2014 @ 7:30pm
Take a look at the ‘Belong’ flyer.
12 March, performance followed by post-show discussion. Tickets from £12.50 – £19.50 http://citz.co.uk/whatson/info/refugee_boy/
