Refugee Week Scotland 2013

From my limited perspective, Refugee Week Scotland is all about the Lajee Dance Tour and Some Other Mother. Sure, there's over 100 events across the country, and a big opening gig with Admiral Fallow and Karine Polwart, but it's the theatre that draws me in. Some Other Mother was written by AJ Taudevin, one of the Traverse Fifty and Lajee are coming across from the Aida Refugee Camp, Palestine, to perform traditional Dabka dancing.

The role of the festival in arts' promotion has become crucial - I tend to pick up on the more experimental sessions, which introduce me to genres that I would otherwise have to spend years trying to understand. But something like the Refugee Week goes beyond simply giving me a cheap aesthetic education, but promotes engagement with a group of communities that are often reduced to a mere blip in the headlines.

The associations of refugee are generally negative - sometimes they get the old Daily Mail treatment, and dumped into the category marked "drains on the honesy tax-payer." At best, there is a sense of pity, a characterisation of the refugee as a victim, a passive traveller evicted from their homeland and culture.

What the RFWS can do is introduce the various cultures that refugees represent: it's why I tend towards the plays and the touring companies rather than the comic showcases. The latter might raise money and awareness, but the former might bring home to be something of the reality behind the headlines. 

Refugee Week Scotland Opening Concert 2013
Glasgow-based ensemble Admiral Fallow (‘a band headed for the top’, Sunday Times), headline what promises to be an uplifting musical celebration of Scottish culture. Award-winning folk singer Karine Polwart performs her enduring melodies and one-time Arab Strap guitarist Malcolm Middleton opens with songs from his solo catalogue. Acclaimed writer and performer Alan Bissett comperes.

Mon 17 June, 8pm, Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, Glasgow, G1 1NQ, Standing. Ages 16+, £16 (£13 balcony only)



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British Red Cross Comedy Night

An evening of first class comedy brought to you by the world’s largest humanitarian organisation. Award-winning Susan Calman is the host. She is joined by Dave Fulton, who busts the myth that Americans don’t have a sense of irony, alongside Canadian Tom Stade, who will thrill you with his charm and storytelling.

Fri 21 June, 8.15pm

Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, Glasgow, G1 5HB, £16 (£12)


Wasasa Comedy Night Special Hosted by the award-winning Kevin Bridges, this will be a fantastic showcase of comedians from diverse backgrounds including The Kasengele Brothers, Sean Reid and Nico Ndlovu with their unique brand of comedy that taps into their African roots.

Mon 17 June, 7.30pm

The Stand Comedy Club, 333 Woodlands Road, Glasgow, G3 6NG




Some Other Mother 

High up in a Glasgow tower block, ten-year-old Star and her mother await the outcome of their claim for asylum. As Mama’s mind fragments under the pressure of their unknown future, Star constructs a poetic and fantastical world of her own.

Scottish tour runs Thurs 6 – 27 June

The Man Who Fell to Earth
Glasgow Film’s POP UP programmers present this cult film directed by Nicolas Roeg, which features David Bowie as an extra-terrestrial seeking refuge on Earth. In an attempt to save his home planet from a fatal drought, Thomas Newton (Bowie) channels his advanced technology and intellect onto society.

Fri 21 June, 7.30pm (followed by after-party)

Garnethill Multicultural Centre

21 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RE

FREE

Box Office:




Diving for Pearls
Govan and Craigton Integration Network with GalGael and Plantation Productions come together for a day of fun and festivities to celebrate Govan and its migrant communities. Funded by the Heritage Lottery, this event includes the launch of an exhibition of model traditional boards, archive images, oral histories, artwork, documentary short films, song, music, performance and a street party with food.

Sat, June 15, 12-9pm

Pearce Institute, 840-860 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 3UU

FREE

The Arches Café Bar Take-over – Taste the World with the International Women’s Group
Women from the International Women’s Group have been working with Arches’ chef, Robbie McGuiness, to come up with a menu of culinary delights inspired by recipes from their home countries of Palestine, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Sudan.

Mon 17-Sat 22 June, from 5pm

The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8DL: thearches.co.uk


Open Aye for Natural Scotland Photography by young refugees offers a fresh perspective on life in Scotland. Inspired by nature and collected on outdoor adventures, this uplifting exhibition celebrates life’s simple pleasures.

18 May – 31 August

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum Community Space, Argyle Street, Glasgow 

FREE