Plymouth Hope’s ninth Annual Hope Festival launched a successful Refugee Week in Plymouth on June 16 at Brickfields Sport Centre.
A great crowd enjoyed the free activities which celebrated refugees’ contributions in the UK and the substantial efforts by both newcomers and the host community in Plymouth to live together in better, more integrated ways.
The event’s main stage hosted musicians from across the South West, as well as those originally coming from Africa and the Middle East. There was also a host of diverse arts and cultural activities, from graffiti art to henna tattoos, hair braiding, face painting and drumming.
There was hot curry and tea and coffee for everyone – handy to warm up with as the weather decided to blow a gale – although youngsters kept hot on the free inflatable fun courtesy of Mr Bounce.
The main attraction was, as usual, the huge football tournament which hosted over 32 male and female teams, and age groups from under nines to 16 plus.
Football has been at the very heart of the festival, and its organisers, Plymouth Hope FC have been using the universal love of the game to foster community and social cohesion. The goal of the original Festival in 2009 was to find a way to bring people together to celebrate diversity and enjoy each other’s cultures by using football as the main tool alongside music, art, food and children activities.
Founder of Hope, David Feindouno said:
“The following year, in 2010, we added another objective, which was to also celebrate the contribution of refugees in the UK. The great success in these first two years made it an annual event to foster community cohesion and celebrate the contribution of refugees in Plymouth and in the UK. In 2011, joined by many partners, the festival became the official launch of the city Refugee Week.
“Our partners have continued to support us as we have grown the Festival and include Plymouth Trophyman, Plymouth City Council, British Red Cross, Plymouth University, Devon and Cornwall Police, Devon Fire and Rescue, Everyone Active, and the Devon FA.
“Hope Festival was in the programme of Refugee Week 2017 National Conference in London and many across the country are replicating the model we have in Plymouth. This is simply passionate individuals and organisations coming together for the same causes of celebrating our diversity in Plymouth and the great contribution of people who have found sanctuary in Plymouth.”
Refugee Week contained many different events from trips to advice on access to higher education and starting up small businesses for refugees, to showcasing photography, painting and gardening projects. There was also the showing of ‘The Shroud Maker’ at the Barbican Theatre by Palestinian refugee Ahmed Massoud.
David added:
“It is incredible how the human spirit can adapt itself to the huge stresses of being forced to leave behind a life entirely and start all over again in a strange environment.
“Plymouth has an amazing array of services that work together in an integrated way to support newcomers to Plymouth including ODILS, START, DCRS and the Red Cross – all of whom play a vital role in helping us all live and work together.”
