However, due to realities such as internal conflict, persecution or climate-induced disasters, many people are forced to become refugees, seeking a new home on new shores because they have no other choice.
Yet instead of welcoming or helping them, many nations enact hostile asylum policies preventing them from obtaining the help they require.
According to activist Mahi Ramakrishnan, this is the reason behind the theme of this year’s Refugee Festival, ‘Inclusion for a Better World’. It serves as a reminder to governments to be more humane on the issue of refugees.
“This year’s festival is special as a diverse group of people, including migrants, foreign students, expats, Malaysians from different walks of life, and civil-society organisations have come together to plan and perform at the festival alongside refugees, as a show of solidarity with our friends who have come to Malaysia in search of a new home,” said Mahi, the founder of the three-day Refugee Festival, now in its seventh year.
Hungarian photojournalist David Verbeckt will present an exhibition and display of the Sahrawi refugees, an oft overlooked group. Non-profit Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) will fly in from Jakarta, Indonesia, for a screening and Q&A of the film ‘Aara Rohingya’.
There will also be performances by refugee children and Malaysian artists, street musicians and a rapper, as well as a bazaar featuring painting, henna work, food, arts and crafts.
One session to look out for is the roundtable discussion ‘Our Intersectional Identities and Belonging’, with bilingual teacher Mustafe Abdikadir Ali Mire, Project R.ED founder Aunger Aung and Refugee Emergency Fund Monitoring and Evaluations officer Lovish Sekaran.
Another highlight is the Human Library, where festival visitors get the chance to speak to five refugees, who will serve as ‘living books’ on various topics.
Most importantly, Mahi said, festival visitors wil be able to hear first-hand the aspirations, views, hopes and challenges of refugees.
According to her, there were currently almost half a million refugees living in Malaysia, each possessing valuable skills, and rich culture and traditions.
“While it’s important to acknowledge the persecution they have experienced, it’s equally crucial that we understand they are much more than what they have gone through,” she said.
Mahi said in her line of work, she had encountered many who expressed disdain for refugees and migrant workers. A lot of it, however, originated from ignorance.
Festivals like this therefore played an important role in building bridges between refugees and the larger Malaysian society, to reveal what was potentially possible through mutual collaboration.
“I staunchly believe there is good in everyone. We saw this during the Movement Control Order and the floods, where everyone came together to help each other irrespective of who they are. Clearly, people are sceptical only when they don’t know who the refugees are,” she said.
She added that when local society connects with refugees, they begin to understand that “refugees are just like you and me: with the same hopes, dreams and aspirations for themselves and their children.”
She said that factors such as increasing greed for power and the lucrative weapons industry meant the global refugee crisis would probably not be ending anytime soon.
“Therefore, it’s important that we embrace and welcome them; that we create an enabling environment for them; that we allow them to live with respect and dignity and that we show them humanity is still alive,” she concluded.
The Refugee Festival 2023
Date: Sept 8-10
Time: 12pm-8.30pm
Venue:
KL Chinese Assembly Hall,
1, Jln Maharajalela,
Kampung Attap, Kuala Lumpur
For more information, visit the website or contact [email protected].