What would an archive of England’s refugee heritage look like if it were created by and for refugees? The Refugee Archive explores this question through consultations with refugee-led groups in five cities in England: London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Huddersfield, and Bristol.
This event brings together some of the people who have been working on the project to discuss why they became involved and to share the perspectives of the refugee-led organisations taking part. We will explore what refugees themselves expect from a refugee archive, what they want it to include, and how they would like it to be managed.
We see this as a first step towards preserving documents, images, and oral histories related to refugee heritage in England. The project also aims to connect refugee organisations across the country.
The event will begin with a panel and presentations, followed by an open discussion, and will include the launch of a report on the past year’s activities. Everyone interested in learning more about the project and contributing to the conversation is welcome.
Programme
- 17:30 – Registration
- 18:00 – Welcome and introduction to the panel, Lucy Bond, Head of School of Humanities
- 18:10 – Introduction to the project ,Linda Mannheim, Research Associate, The Refugee Archive
- 18:20 – Why we got involved, Nazek Ramadan, Migrant Voice
- 18:30 – Poetry from Exiled Writers Ink, Poets TBC
- 18:40 – Introduction to the website, Sumaya Yasin
- 18:50 – Introduction to the survey, Zara Mehmood
- 19:00 – Q&A and discussion
- 19:30 – 20:30 – Refreshments and networking
National Lottery Heritage Fund is supporting this University of Westminster project. The event is hosted by HOMELandS (Hub on Migration, Exile, Languages and Spaces) Research Centre with the support of School of Humanities.
