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Celebrate World Refugee Day 2010

2 June 2010 – 12.18pm

Smack bang in the middle of Matariki, the Maori New Year and all the creative (indoor!) activities that are taking place at the Matariki Festival at Te Papa, World Refugee Day is one of our key times to celebrate and discuss the diversity of our beautiful people and places, and the freedom we enjoy.

This year the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has set the global theme as “Home”, with the accompanying statement: “They took my home but they can’t take my future.” The theme aims to highlight the plight of refugees worldwide, as well as their courage and resilience.

 

Celebrated on Sunday June 20, New Zealand acknowledges World Refugee Day with a myriad of events, performances, forums, and celebrations throughout the land and indeed the world.

Wellington’s World Refugee Day will kick off at 10am, 20 June, at Newtown Park beginning with the Fourth Annual World Refugee Football Match, followed by a cultural fair and a tree planting event. As in previous years, the match is expected to attract both refugee background and local communities from the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington. The first match will be between Refugee All-Star players from Africa and Asia, and the second will see players from another Refugee All-Star team challenge a Wellington Invitational Eleven.

A cultural fair with music, dance and food cooked by different refugee communities at Newtown Park club rooms will follow the football matches. Refugee background communities will then be able to plant a tree to ‘put down roots’ at Mt Albert Park, in a Rotary Club of Wellington and Project Crimson initiative.

The Commissioner for Race Relationtions has established a World Refugee Day website to publicise events around the country.  If you are planning one you can email them and have your event promoted for free.

Here are some photographs taken by Farah Omar, originally a refugee from Somalia, at last years World Regugee Day. These, and many other beautiful photographs are now displayed in The Mixing Room - stories from young refugees in NZ exhibition, Level 4, Te Papa.

World Refugee Day by you.
World Refugee Day Celebrations by you.
World Refugee Day Celebrations by you.
You could also visit the United Nations Refugee Agency and find out what you can do to help the plight of refugees.
Order free posters, booklets & other information
Participate in an event in your area
Donate to UNHCR’s global humanitarian work
Learn more about refugee protection
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THE MIXING ROOM MIXES IT UP!

19 April 2010 – 12.05pm

12 workshops

6 New Zealand cities

70+ refugee background youth

28 different ethnic communities

2 years in the making

1 amazing exhibition opening!

Yes! And the crowd goes wild!  On Saturday 10th April Te Papa opened The Mixing Room, stories from young refugees in New Zealand to the contributors, their families and of course the public. Over 250 people gathered from Nelson, Hamilton, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Palmerston North in the Wellington Foyer and the Red Couches meeting room to eagerly await the formalities of the opening.

Guests from around the country gather in the Red Couches meeting room

Guests from around the country gather in the Red Couches meeting room

Guests from Christchurch

Guests from Christchurch

Invited guests warmly received speeches by Michelle Hippolite, Te Papa’s Kaihautū and Acting CEO, Joris de Bres, Race Relations Commissioner Kaihautū Whakawhanaunga-ā-Iwi, Anita Azizi from Afghanistan and Abdalla Gabriel from Sudan, two of our young refugee advisors and key contributors in the development of the Mixing Room exhibition.

Abdalla with Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast

Abdalla with Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast

Martine and friend from Rwanda

Martine and friend from Rwanda

Joris de Bres addresses the guests

Joris de Bres addresses the guests

Once the doors opened to gallery, I encountered shrieks of laughter, flooding tears, proud parents beaming smiles…and that was just me!  Seriously, it was amazing and people were so thrilled to see what their work and commitment had culminated in.  Talk about ‘The Mixing Room’! At one stage I counted 23 different ethnic communities engaging with each other and the content of the show.

The Mixing Room presents the giant digital photomosaic

The Mixing Room presents the giant digital photomosaic

Farah and family in the Mixing Room

Farah and family in the Mixing Room

Patrick looking at Sarah looking at Patrick!

Patrick looking at Sarah looking at Patrick!

Digital tables in action

Digital tables in action

Visitors enjoying exploring the contributor content

Visitors enjoying exploring the contributor content

The fun continued on throughout the afternoon with a diverse events programme on the Marae here at Te Papa.  From Myanmar dancers, Sudanese poetry readings, Congolese hip hop dancers and all MC’d by our very own Kristelle.

Myanmar dancers

Myanmar dancers

Red performs on the Marae

Red performs on the Marae

Young refugee dancers bust a move during a performance at The Mixing Room opening

Young refugee dancers bust a move during a performance at The Mixing Room opening

Abdalla's poetry reading

Abdalla’s poetry reading

Thanks to everyone around the country who have made this one of the most engaging, rewarding and meaningful projects I personally have ever worked on.  For more photograph check out The Mixing Room’s Flickr photo stream

Best wishes and keep visiting,

Sarah ‘LIVE & DIRECT’ from ‘The Mixing Room’

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Come on in to the Mixing Room

9 April 2010 – 4.20pm

One more sleep to go until The Mixing Room, stories from young refugees in New Zealand opens in the Community Gallery on Level 4 at Te Papa.

We are so very proud of our young people who have contributed to the show and we are flying about 40 of them to Wellington for the day to join in the celebrations.  We’ve got a great day planned. Come along to the Marae on Level 4 to join in on the events.

11:30am Myanmar Youth Group

12pm Abdalla Gabriel poetry reading

12.30pm Red and Crew

1.15pm The Mixing Room Workshop Panel

Find out more details here.

The Mixing Room Mosaic

The Mixing Room Mosaic

Explore this photomosaic.  It’s made up of thousands of photographs of and by young refugees working on the Mixing Room project with us.  This is actually projected 6 metres high in the exhibition and looks amazing.  Let us know what you think.

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Abdalla in the house!

6 April 2010 – 11.56am

Abdalla is one of our stars in The Mixing Room, stories from young refugees in New Zealand exhibition opening this Saturday 10 April at Te Papa.  His poetry and a short film of his life in NZ that he made in some workshops will be showcased with the work of other young people from refugee backgrounds, making a new life for themselves in Aotearoa, NZ.

Abdalla along with others that share a refugee background, has willingly given his time to assist The Mixing Room exhibition team to ‘keep real’ about this show.  He has come to meetings every fortnight for the last year or more to offer Te Papa staff advice on content, marketing, events etc.

We hope it has been beneficial for the young people involved as well. One of the main objectives for the Mixing Room project has been to give young men and women ‘a voice’ and some skills and tools to enable them to share their stories about becoming Kiwis with both national and international visitors to Te Papa.

Abdalla at the photography workshop in Wellington. Photograph by Farah Omar, 2009

Abdalla uses poetry to help him work through his life experiences of growing up in refugee camps after fleeing war-torn Sudan and learning to rely on himself. He writes…

SILENCE

Perhaps one day I shall go out into the quietened city

and recognise myself among the crowds of souls.

I will say to them,

‘Hey look, there goes the man I really am.’

Will they dare to acknowledge me? No one responds.

There is silence in the atmosphere, Silence on mountain tops, silence beneath the universe.

Then the world moves on restlessly,

making its love, greed, pride, and money; minding its own business.

Shamefully I close my eyes, then rest my mouth,

as silence is the only language

that does not need an interpreter.

Listen to his radio show on Wednesday’s at 3.00pm on Access Radio 783am. This Wednesday 7th April he’s interviewing Sarah the Concept Interpreter and Steph the Curator of the Mixing Room project and exhibition.  LIVE & DIRECT!

You can see and hear lots of other media that these young people have produced by visiting The Mixing Room blog

Let us know what you think.

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Race Relations Day 2010

19 March 2010 – 12.12pm

Race Relations Day 2010

The theme for Race Relations Day 2010 is ‘It’s About Us – Whānau’ and we are officially celebrating it on Sunday 21st March – this weekend!  In the days around Race Relations Day community groups, councils, schools, workplaces, marae and places of worship are encouraged to host events and celebrations to acknowledge the value of cultural diversity and the need to support harmonious race relations. Race Relations Day is a time when you or your organisation or community can do something to celebrate, to learn, to discuss, to plan or to promote diversity.  And we at The Mixing Room intend to do just that! It’s an opportunity to launch new initiatives, motivate your family, friends, neighbourhood and colleagues.  Get out there and share the love.

Patrick from The Mixing Room, Photographed by Kate Whitley

Many events have already began around New Zealand but let’s all make a special effort this weekend to celebrate our diversity in this fine land we share.   Check out what’s happening around you.

Personally I’m heading to the South East Asia Night Market at Frank Kitts Park.  Might see you there!  After all, ‘It’s About Us – Whānau’

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The Mixing Room at Te Papa wins award

3 March 2010 – 10.52am

The Mixing Room Team are the very proud recipients of the New Zealand Race Relations Commissioner Kaihautū Whakawhanaunga-ā-Iwi award for positive contributions to race relations.

The Mixing Room, stories from young refugees in New Zealand is a collaborative project between Te Papa and more than 70 refugee background young people from diverse communities, including Afghani, Bhutanese, Burmese, Burundian, Cambodian, Colombian, Congolese, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Iranian, Kosovar-Albanian, Rwandan, Somali, Sudanese, Tamil, and Vietnamese.

Refugee background youth forum at Te Papa

Following initial consultation with community leaders, a refugee background youth forum was held at Te Papa in early 2009. This confirmed the exhibition’s concept: ‘Optimism in a new land’, with the three themes of Challenge, Connection and Freedom. Subsequently, a youth reference group was established in Wellington comprising of around 10 young people who meet with Te Papa staff fortnightly. The group has helped with choosing material for the exhibition and provided feedback to Te Papa’s development team, ensuring the project is defined by young people.

Selecting photographs for the exhibition with the youth reference group

Fortnightly youth reference meeting at Te Papa

Next, a set of 12 professional tutorial workshops were held with young people in the six main refugee settlement areas: Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson and Christchurch. Young people from refugee backgrounds were employed to rally other young refugees to attend the workshops.

Digital story-telling workshop in Hamilton

Cast glass workshop in Auckland

The exhibition presents the young people’s stories in a range of creative, digital mediums including art, short film, poetry, performance, screen-printing, cast glass and digital story-telling. It was underpinned by the ‘capacity building’ approach, whereby the young people were empowered to tell their stories in their own way and upskill themselves in the process.

Screen-printing workshop in Christchurch

This award is really exciting for the Mixing Room team because it recognises that the project is bigger than the exhibition itself.  That we can measure success using a variety of models including that the process is as important as the end product.

A taste of what is to be included in the exhibition can be viewed on the new Mixing Room blog. You can also watch the music video ‘Belong’ on Youtube. The end product, the multimedia ‘Mixing Room’ exhibition will open at Te Papa on April 10 2010 and will run for three years in the community gallery.  So come along and be challenged, get connected and feel the freedom we all so luckily share in this great land of ours!

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