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All together now...city's refugees in jamboree
By Peter Lazenby A MULTI-NATIONAL jamboree of music, dance and street festivities will mark the fourth Leeds annual Refugee Week – a celebration of the cultural and econonomic contribution refugees make to the city.
The week of activities will start on Sunday June 13 with a colourful street festival in the city centre and continue with a packed week of events including Zimbabwean dance and theatre, Kurdish artwork, Sudanese children's drama, Somalian women's fashion, Asian henna body decoration and exotic foods from around the world prepared by refugees.
There will also be the first-ever performance by the city's new 22-piece Cuban music big band Champola.
The week will culminate in an international football tournament with refugees from far-flung corners of the world.
All events are free.
The week's festivities have been organised by the Leeds Refugee Week steering committee made up of the Refugee Council, Refugee Action, Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network, Yorkshire and Humberside Consortium Asylum Team and the Swarthmore Education Centre in Leeds.
Co-ordinator Mette Wiggen, said: "This is an extremely important week. It is the one chance asylum seekers and refugees get to show local people how much they have to offer.
"It's also a celebration of those past generations who fled persecution and who sought sanctuary in Yorkshire and have since enriched our lives.
"We're looking forward to seeing the many refugee cultures and local communities coming together to share and contribute to the week."
Said Rahim, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, said: "This is a really good opportunity for us. We hear such negative comments about asylum seekers and refugees.
Skills
"Sometimes I think the public is not aware of what we have suffered.
"We also come with great skills. I used to be a lecturer in psychology in my homeland and I hope one day to use my knowledge and abilities in this country.
"Refugee Week is a chance for us to give something back to the community and to thank the people of Leeds for giving us hope and a chance for the future. I know that if I was still back home I would probably be dead now."
For more information contact Mette Wiggen via email on: m.wiggen @leeds. ac.uk.
For more information please log on to the website at www.refugeeweek.org.uk
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Weather for Leeds
Friday 25 May 2012
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