Helping Refugees in Wales tell their own stories

Migration
ViewsAugust 8th, 2014

At Oasis Cardiff, a registered charity based in Cardiff established as a centre providing support for refugees and asylum seekers, the most important room is the kitchen. It is there that the refugees and asylum seekers meet for conversation and support, sharing their tales of the past, their views on the present, and their hopes for the future.

This exchange of stories will now reach a much wider range of people thanks to an innovative project to share for the first time many refugee stories in the Cardiff area which has been approved as a result of a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The story of refugees is part of the rich heritage and culture of Wales.

For well over a century, refugees have found a safe home in Wales, especially in the ports and valleys of South Wales. In the nineteenth century, Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe settled in our main city ports of Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.

The response was the same during the conflicts of the first half of the last century, as people sought refuge in Wales as a result of the First World War, the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. Wales became a safe haven for Jews fleeing Nazi persecution, and communities of Belgians, Spaniards, Poles and Italians were also established in Wales, communities which have added a rich complexity to the life and heritage of our nation.

And the story of those fleeing persecution and adding to the richness of Welsh life continues, and is well reflected in the work that Oasis does. Visitors today include people from many of the most challenging countries in the world including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Mali and Congo. Some have just arrived in Cardiff, whilst others have been here for a few years.

But they all have a story to tell and this project will enable them to do so.

It will record their experiences of their past and current life, and collecting any relevant objects.

Refugee Wales: Travel, Arrival and Roots will work with refugees and asylum seekers exploring their roots in both countries, home lives, cultural traditions, arrival and integration with the Welsh community.

A specifically funded Project Coordinator will work with volunteers from Oasis Cardiff and the refugee community over two years to support and develop skills relating to collecting objects, recording and archiving filmed interviews.

With Coordinator guidance, the volunteers will record their stories on camera and create information panels for exhibition purposes alongside a number of digital stories.

In doing so, many stories will now be brought to life which will help give voice to many people whose voices have not previously been heard.

With the support of St Fagan’s National History Museum, and the advice of Amgueddfa Cymru, this creative project will help real stories be told, not just in Cardiff but throughout Wales. These will all then travel on a touring exhibition, supported by a related series of events, to a number of local authority museums around Wales.

By travelling, it will reach an audience who may not have contact with refugees, and will raise awareness of their stories, their rich cultural heritage and their positive impact on modern Welsh society.

The material will also be placed on the web, and will finally be archived at St Fagans: National History Museum.

This project will enable both host community and refugee and asylum seeker communities to remove the barriers separating them, and will add to the understanding of people who engage with the project.

Oasis first opened in September 2008 and its visitor numbers have been growing consistently so that now over 100 people a day call in. Their stories will form the backbone of this innovative project.

For more information on Refugee Wales: Travel, Arrival and Roots or to engage with them on the planned travelling exhibition, please contact them via their website http://oasiscardiff.org/

Jennifer Stewart is Head of Heritage Lottery Fund, Wales

Tagged with: BAME & migrants

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