LONDON: An arts festival has opened in the UK to show the works of Middle Eastern and Muslim refugees with an aim to change perceptions, western media reported on Sunday.
The objective of the Platforma festival, which started on Saturday, is to change perceptions about refugees in the UK. The event is managed by Counterpoints Arts, a London-based organization that promotes the contributions of migrants and refugees to British society in the field of art.
The seventh edition of the event which will run until November 5 will feature visual arts, drama, music and comedy by the refugees.
The festival which will be going to the different parts of the UK reached Bristol on Sunday with a session on Arabic calligraphy and poetry. In the coming weeks, performances by Palestinian stand-up comedians will be held.
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On October 21, a performance blending classical Persian dance with contemporary dance will be held in Devon.
Again, in Bristol, the comedic duo Mohand and Peter will show their theatrical skills with evocative narratives rooted in Sudan.
From October 28-29, “Dear Laila,” an art installation will be shown at Bristol’s Palestine Museum. The work narrates the Palestinian experience of displacement and struggle through the story of family work.
on October 22, another work by a Sudanese artist will be shown at the event to celebrate the African nation’s art and culture.
The Platforma festival was created by Almir Koldzic, who came to the UK from Yugoslavia in 1995 to escape the war in his country.
The event, which is held every two years in different parts of the UK, aims to promote the healing and unifying abilities of art and cultural expression.
