On the occasion of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development marked on 21 May each year, UNHCR and French NGO ”Radio Activité”, comprising of a group of journalists, volunteers from Radio France International, held an event for refugee, displaced, asylum-seeking and local adults and youth in Armenia.
2019 World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development © UNHCR
The event, held on 23 May 2019 at the UN House, gathered some 70 guests, granted the audience the opportunity to listen to the project participants’ own radio broadcasts, their testimonies and genuine chat recorded during the two half-day radio workshops, which were organized during the month of May with groups of women and youth of concern from Syria, Iraq, NK, Afghanistan, Yemen, as well as locals and Diaspora Armenians.
The concept of the “Radio Activité” innovative project is to help people – by using a microphone – speak up and reach their voice to the entire world while they talk about universal values and human rights, e.g. peaceful co-existence, mutual understanding and equal rights.
During her welcoming remarks, Ms. Anna-Carin Öst, the UNHCR Representative in Armenia, expressed: “Radio can help the people feel the value of cultural diversity, discover new countries, languages and traditions. This innovative radio project was very important for you, especially”, and acknowledging the value of the radio, she added: “Good-old radio helped you to get together, know and learn from each other, express yourselves and be listened to”.
Indeed, those skillfully designed radio workshops triggered spontaneous discussions among the participants on various themes of mutual interest and importance: family and friends, some priority issues and concerns affecting refugees and their communities, as well as on the themes of peace, love, gender, cohesion and inclusion in the host community.
“Radio Activité” workshops are a great way for people to learn radio gears techniques, to voice out and be listened to, learn about each other and befriend”, said Anahit Hayrapetyan, UNHCR External Relations Associate, who had joined the radio workshops with refugee women and youth.
During the event, the participants also enjoyed the blissful music of accordion by a French-Armenian musician Sevana Tchakerian, discovered illustrations by a US Armenian visual artist collective “Kooyrigs” and tasted traditional cuisine by Syian-Armenian women entrepreneurs, who were among the “Radio Activité” workshop participants.
At the end of the event, UNHCR expresses its gratitude to the authors of the “Radio Activité” project: Constance Léon, Mathilde Mouzon and Antoine Lalanne-Desmet, for their unique project promoting refugee integration through granting ‘a voice to the voiceless’, their creativity and volunteer work.
UNHCR and the “Radio Activité” team also expressed their genuine appreciation to World Council of Churches Armenia Round Table Foundation which contributed to the realization of the workshops for women and youth of concern at their beautiful premises near Holy See of Etchmiadzin, the Mission Armenia NGO for their invaluable organizational input, as well as Women’s Resource Centre of Armenia, KASA Swiss Humanitarian Foundation and PINK Armenia, for supporting the organization of ”Radio Activité” workshops for their staff and persons of concern.
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