Young Fathers to headline concert for Refugee Week Scotland

"At a time of increasingly negative attitudes towards migrants in the UK, we want to send a strong message that refugees and those seeking asylum are welcome here, and celebrate the unique and important contributions they make to our communities." These words come from Suzi Simpson, Arts and Cultural Co-ordinator for the Scottish Refugee Council, and one of the principal organisers behind Refugee Week Scotland, an annual festival that seeks to celebrate not just the welcoming attitudes of Scottish people towards migrants seeking sanctuary from terrible conditions and oppressive regimes in their own countries, but also the huge cultural contribution these refugees bring to their newly-adopted home. 

Running from 16-22 June, Refugee Week Scotland features a huge calendar of events, concerts, visual arts exhibitions, performances and more. Previous years have seen concerts from the Fence Records roster, and the likes of Admiral Fallow, Malcolm Middleton and Karine Polwart, to name just a few. This year's programme promises even more excitement, not least a concert from SAY Award-longlisted, Anticon-signed hip-hop sensations Young Fathers, celebrating their own diverse backgrounds, with the band's three members having ties to Edinburgh, Nigeria and Liberia. They headline the World Refugee Day Concert on 20 June at Glasgow's Old Fruitmarket, alongside gypsy-punk collective Balkanarama, and Gaelic and Céilidh music band Skipinnish.

Other highlights of this year's programme include the Community Celebrations, which the organisers describe as "Refugee Week Scotland’s beating heart," with 30 or more community groups collaborating on a diverse range of events and projects, including a strand looking at the diversity of Scottish communities in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, under the banner of Welcome: Common Ground. Elsewhere, there will be the premiere of a documentary called A View From Here, a project which saw the Scottish Refugee Council co-ordinating the efforts of residents and former residents of some of Glasgow's high rise flats, currently being demolished across the city. Participants told the story of the buildings and communities in which they live using photography, visual art, film and performance.

In Glasgow, the Refugee Week Scotland Welcome Tent promises "thought-provoking acts of welcome" - again featuring visual art, screenings, performance and discussion in a pop-up tent venue right in the middle of the city. The above is only a small sampling of what's on offer at this year's Refugee Week Scotland – to find out more, and for times, dates and prices of events, download the full programme or visit their Facebook page.

Simpson, the co-ordinator of the programme for this year's events, is keen to point out that this is a significant year in which to celebrate Scotland's cultural diversity. "This summer Scotland will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. With visitors from all over the world coming to our country, what better time for Refugee Week Scotland to have a warm and heartfelt message of ‘welcome’ at the centre of the festival. We’re extremely proud of our rich and diverse programme of events from our exciting and upbeat World Refugee Concert, to a host of community events, theatre performances, community events and much more... We’re proud to say ‘I welcome refugees’ and to help people re-build their lives in a place of safety."