World Refugee Day 2019 in Valletta

To mark World Refugee Day this year, UNHCR Malta organised an event in the beautiful setting of Pjazza San Gorg, Valletta. We brought together a range of people from refugee and migrant communities, NGOs, government agencies, and the general public, to honour the resilience and contribution of refugees and asylum-seekers in our community.

The event took place on a hot summer evening and we began by welcoming everyone with refreshing drinks and food. UNHCR is committed to supporting initiatives that empower and include refugees and migrants, so we were delighted to have catering provided by Sahha, a business project by Migrant Women Association Malta. Guests at the event had a chance to try samples of Syrian, Libyan, Sudanese and Palestinian cuisine, all prepared by refugee and migrant women.

As the evening progressed and the weather cooled down, more people started to arrive in the pjazza for the next part of World Refugee Day; an activity in which the public were invited to listen to first-hand experiences of refugees, asylum-seekers and people who work or volunteer to support them.

World Refugee Day 2019. © UNHCR/Niels den Hollander

In the activity ‘I have Something to Say’, a total of nine people were asked to talk about a topic of their choice, and reflect on how the refugee experience or their work has impacted their lives. The aim was to increase dialogue and encourage understanding among diverse members of the community.

The activity was set up in an informal way. We grouped chairs into nine separate circles; one circle for each speaker to sit and tell their story. People were then invited to take a seat in the circle and to listen to what each speaker had to say.

Listeners had the chance to hear from asylum-seekers and refugees living in Malta. Our speakers were Shazali from Sudan, Abdishakur from Somalia, Taleb from Syria, and Luisa from Venezuela.

Shazali arrived in Malta just seven months ago, and told his group about journey to Malta and how by attending lessons at Blue Door English (a local NGO), he has already managed to learn a lot of English in a short time. This is helping him to settle and build a new life. Another young man interesting in talking about integration, Abdishakur left Somalia a number of years ago and now lives on the small island of Gozo. As one of the few refugees living in Gozo and someone who has faced difficulties in integrating, Abdishakur spoke about education, and his final message was that it is important to stay positive throughout the challenges.

A Syrian refugee living in Malta with his wife and young son, Taleb gave an interesting insight into the similarities between his country of birth and Malta… and not just the language. Speaking in Maltese, he observed the way people tend to group up outside their homes in the evening during the summer months, sitting on chairs or their doorsteps, discussing things with friends and family. He said this is exactly what he remembers people doing back in his hometown. Luisa, from Venezuela, also spoke about home. She poignantly explained that if you are lucky enough, you can move away from what is going on in your country, but your mind and your heart are always back at home with the people you left behind.

Our remaining five speakers gave equally interesting insights to their groups, providing a closer look at what it is like working in the field. We were honoured to have Father Dionysius Mintoff as one of these speakers. Fr. Mintoff set up Peace Lab in 1971, and the centre in Hal Far has been welcoming asylum-seekers in need of a home ever since. He talked of some of the barriers that still exist for people to feel fully integrated in the community.

Another dedicated person who has been supporting refugees and migrants in Malta for a long time is Ahmed Bugre, the founder of Foundation for Shelter and Support for Migrants. He spoke mainly about integration, and how this should be a bottom-up process. He said that it is the role of each person in Malta to take part and get involved to improve the situation. He also emphasised the need for more representation of migrants in mainstream media such as television.

Another of our speakers, Vanja Vajagic who leads the Therapeutic Services unit at AWAS, asked people to imagine the impact of the refugee journey on mental wellbeing and how this then requires proper therapeutic support in the country of arrival.

Having just spent two and half years working with UNHCR Syria, Elisabetta Brumat had plenty to say about her work. Using a map of the country to illustrate her point, she spoke about the complexity of the situation in Syria and how difficult it is to perform humanitarian work in a country with a constantly changing political landscape.

Finally, Marloes and Clara-Lou , who are students and volunteers, explained their motivation to set up Hal Far Outreach, an NGO that is now providing English lessons and other activities in the open centre. They wanted to show how anyone can contribute a little bit, in their own way, to improving the lives of refugees and asylum-seekers.

‘I have something to say’ provided people with a chance to really listen to and engage with people they may not usually have the opportunity to meet. We thank our speakers for opening up and letting us hear their voices. We hope to facilitate more encounters like this in the future.

Participants in the 'I have something to say' activity during World Refugee Day 2019 in Valletta. © UNHCR/Niels den Hollander

By the end of the activity, the sun had almost fully set and we directed everyone’s attention to the big screen. The last part of the evening was the screening of six short films related to refugees and social inclusion, in collaboration with Valletta Film Festival.

UNHCR Malta has been collaborating with the festival for five years, bringing films about diverse experiences of refugees and migrants to a local audience. The short films shown this year were produced in Italy, USA, Turkey and even Malta.

We were very pleased to open the screening with a short film by Anthony Mizzi (Randon films) for UNHCR Malta, made specially for the occasion. The short video called ‘A Place Like Home’ features Barbara, Taleb and Mohamed, three refugees and asylum-seekers living in Malta. You can watch the video below:

https://www.facebook.com/unhcrmalta/videos/312344406376363/

UNHCR recently published the Global Trends for 2018, which shows that there are currently over 70 million forcibly displaced people in the world, including 25.9 million refugees. World Refugee Day serves as an important reminder that globally, and of course in Malta, we should always look for ways to show solidarity with refugees.

“Today, a number of refugees are living in the local community, many of them working, opening businesses, and sending their children to school to grow up alongside Maltese children. If Malta is currently experiencing economic growth, it is partly thanks to the many refugees and other migrants who build your houses and roads, take care of the elderly, pick up the rubbish, clean streets and offices, drive taxis, wash the dishes, cook and serve you at restaurants. Refugees are nurses, engineers, shop owners, and teachers, amongst other professions. They are also university students – the aspiring graduates who will help shape this country’s future.

They are part of Malta’s success and flourishing economy. They are part of our community. This is a story that it is not often told.”

– Kahin Ismail, in a statement on World Refugee Day, No Step is Too Small

We would like to thank everyone who came along to World Refugee Day this year.

Join us as we step #WithRefugees.

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