The Importance of Arts for Migrants - Migration Summit 2023

“What art offers is space, a certain breathing room for the spirit.” ~ John Updike
“It is vital to keep open spaces for resistance, dialogue and debate on these crucial issues, and to include the very people situated in the asylum-migration nexus in discussion, debate and research” (O’Neill, 2011, p. 14). The creative arts are a way for people to communicate and create something personal and beautiful from often difficult experiences. Art offers a space and freedom of expression, which can transcend barriers and create opportunities for empathy and solidarity. Art is an important counter cultural means of giving voice to experiences for which words alone may not be sufficient. In this panel, we will hear from people around the world who are employing different artforms to give voice to the experience of displacement.
Speakers:
Marieke Lewis
Lisa Van Wyk
Anas Saleh