community as power
15-22 June
The Big Welcome is a celebration of the contribution refugees make to our community.
This year, we’re taking advantage of our building being closed to celebrate Refugee Week with our friends and partners in Cliftonville, Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Canterbury.
The programme has been put together by the Refugee Week planning group - many of whom have recently arrived in the area. Their input has been invaluable.
Thanks to Marine Studios, Olbys, Palace Cinema, Ramsgate Community Cinema, Tom Thumb Theatre, Sports Connect UK, The Crab Museum, The Bike Shed for supporting this festival.
SUNDAY 15 JUNE
Orchestra from Everywhere
Sunday 15 June • 7.30pm
St George's Church • Ramsgate
The wonderful Orchestra from Everywhere brings together musicians from Syria, Iran, Hong Kong, Palestine, Ukraine and India to play traditional music from their own cultures and new music that they have developed together, on instruments such as the Syrian oud, qanun, Iranian santur, Chinese guzheng, middle-eastern ney, Indian flute, South-Indian mrdangam, kanjira, djembe and world percussion.
MONDAY 16 JUNE
Body as Data workshop
Monday 16 June • 4pm-6pm (also 23, 30 June and 7 July)
Union Church • Margate
Welcoming people with lived experience of displacement, and those who support the right of refugees to live freely! These workshops explore movement, sound and storytelling - plus music and food at this special session for Refugee Week. These sessions will culminate in a filmed performance event on Sunday 20 July that re-maps erased histories and reclaims space across the Kent coast.
TUESDAY 17 JUNE
PROJEKT ENCOUNTER
Tuesday 17 June • 5pm - 7.30pm
Aphra Theatre • University of Kent
PROJEKT ENCOUNTER is a series of free weekly drama sessions for refugees, asylum seekers and first-generation migrants, led by theatre company PROJEKT EUROPA and hosted by the School of Arts at the University of Kent. Expect serious playfulness, multilingualism and fun, in this intimate and informal sharing, followed by questions and answers with the cast and company.
WEDNESDAY 18 JUNE
The Swimmers (2022)
Wednesday 18 June • 7pm
Ramsgate Community Cinema
Directed by Sally El Hosaini, The Swimmers follows the remarkable journey of Syrian sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini. Fleeing war-torn Damascus in 2015, the sisters undertake a perilous journey to Europe, during which they heroically save fellow refugees by bringing a sinking dinghy to safety in the Aegean Sea. Their story culminates in Yusra's participation in the 2016 Rio Olympics as part of the Refugee Olympic Team. No booking in advance, tickets on the door - pay what you can.
THURSDAY 19 JUNE
From the Lips to the Moon
Thursday 19 June • 7.30pm
Olby's Margate
An unusual music and poetry night curated by electronic music wizard Pouya Ehsaei, and performance maker and writer Tara Fatehi - as surreal, absurd and futuristic as it is current, urgent and political. Pouya and Tara will be joined by other musicians and spoken word artists to create an unforgettable and compelling experience. Booking recommended - free to people with lived experience of displacement. For others please consider making a donation.
FRIDAY 20 JUNE
The Search (1948)
Friday 20 June • 11am
Ramsgate Community Cinema
Directed by Fred Zinnemann. A silent nine-year-old Czech boy, a survivor of Auschwitz, flees a refugee center in postwar Germany and is found by an American G.I. At the same time, the boy's mother, the sole surviving member of his family, searches refugee centers for her son. No booking in advance, tickets on the door - pay what you can. Full listings: https://www.facebook.com/ramsgatecommunitycinema
Football
Friday 20 June • 4pm - 7pm
Dane Park, Margate
Join us for a special 5-a-side football tournament celebrating Refugee Week! Featuring local teams and Margate Phoenix FC, it’s an afternoon of sport, community, and fun. There will be activities for children to enjoy off the pitch too, so bring the whole family. Cheer on the teams and show your support for unity through football! Supported by Sports Connect UK https://sportsconnect.uk/ This event is in support of Green Kordofan - https://www.greenkordofan.com/ - a charity supporting sports and personal development for young people in Sudan.
Utopiarium
Friday 20 June • 5pm • 5.45pm • 6.30pm
Dane Park, Margate
Brazilian artist Gustavo Dias-Vallejo invites participants to envisage and share a better version of the future. What is your “ideal society”? What would exist in your utopia? Utopiarium connects two strangers, as they sit in colourful deckchairs, face the horizon and reimagine the world we live in. Booking recommended - free to people with lived experience of displacement. For others please consider making a donation.
Open mic night and party
Friday 20 June • 8pm
Tom Thumb Theatre, Margate
It’s open mic and party night at one of Cliftonville’s favourite venues. Come and enjoy spoken word, music and dance from a range of cultures, then groove to the sounds of DJ King. Acts from the floor welcome! Booking recommended - free to people with lived experience of displacement. For others please consider making a donation.
SATURDAY 21 JUNE
The Big Welcome Community Picnic
Saturday 21 June • 3pm
Margate Steps
Follow Ya Wantsum Samba band from the Steps to the children’s playground on Ethelbert Crescent for an afternoon of games, juggling, and activities. Bring a picnic and rug and join in the fun! Everyone welcome.
SUNDAY 22 JUNE
Zine workshop
Sunday 22 June • 2.30pm
Marine Studios, Margate
This creative workshop uses photography and collage to explore Margate and what makes it a good place to live. Participants will be paired to share and capture each other’s favourite places, turning their photos into unique collages which will help create a group ‘zine. No previous experience necessary —just curiosity and openness. Cameras and materials provided. Booking essential - free to people with lived experience of displacement. For others please consider making a donation.
To a Land Unknown (2024)
Sunday 22 June • 7pm
Palace Cinema, Broadstairs
A suspenseful gritty thriller from Danish-Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel about two young Palestinians caught in an eternal state of exile. Chatila and Reda are trying to get out of Athens. But when Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his dangerous drug addiction, Chatila hatches an extreme plan, in an effort to get him and his best friend out of their hopeless environment before it is too late.
Cycle-del-Mar
Sunday 22 June • 8.30pm
Meet outside Turner Contemporary, Margate
Cycle de Mer is a free, inclusive event uniting people through music and activity, fostering joy and togetherness. All wheels and runners are welcome! Whether you ride a bike, trike, skateboard, roller boots, or inlines, or prefer to run, join Col's Kent Bike Tours, The Bike Shed & The solarwaves Rickshaw Sound System for a sunset ride and run along the Margate coastline! For free bike hire, please email thebikeshedkent@gmail.com
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