As part of Refugee Week Scotland, Edinburgh’s Scottish Storytelling Centre hosted Immigration in Song and Story, an event for all but focusing on the themes of leaving and moving, an issue which affects all refugees and asylum seekers.
Led by award winning singer, writer and theatre artist Roxana Vilk, together with her musician husband Peter Vilk, the day was spent opening up to each person and their idea of settling to live in Scotland, and continuing their personal stories through the medium of music.
Creating a safe space
It was a dreary Scottish day outside but inside the room quickly came to life as Immigration in Song and Story started with an unusual warm up – getting to your feet and shaking your hands, moving your body, clapping and singing. It quickly became clear that the idea was to forget the hyperactive world going on outside and concentrate solely on the day’s events. Only thirty minutes into the morning, even the least musically inclined amongst us had some instrument or other and we were all creating music together.
Music making was invigorating in itself but it was only enhanced when moving on to the telling of the stories. The normal calm and quiet atmosphere of the Scottish Storytelling Centre made for a particularly safe space for people to warm to each other and feel comfortable to share their own story.
We all have a story
While not everyone in the room had a story of moving to Scotland as a refugee, everyone did have story to share. As each story was told there was a real sense of respect for the lives of each other in the room. There was a mutual understanding of how important each person’s story is to themselves but also of the importance of sharing stories.
Storytelling goes back centuries and the day was a reminder of the importance of sharing tales and anecdotes with each other as a way of creating an understanding between yourself and others.
