Co-founded by artists Carlota and MoYah, the festival aims to showcase the talent of refugees and migrants who enrich cultural life in Portugal and to promote inclusion, representation, and solidarity through culture.
In England, where MoYa resides, the Refugee Week “is a well-known festival” that has led to “many positive outcomes,” stated the rapper, producer, and artistic activist during a Zoom interview.
“The Refugee Week is the world’s largest art and culture festival dedicated to celebrating the contributions that migrant and refugee communities make to the countries they reside in,” emphasized MoYah, originally from Mozambique, who met Carlota, born in Porto, in the English city of Bristol, where they conceived the idea of creating a Portuguese version of the Refugee Week.
“We believe it’s something important that Portugal needs,” remarked MoYah, who left Mozambique during the civil war as a political refugee and lived in Lisbon until he was ten, before relocating to England, where he has lived for 30 years.
“I grew up in Portugal and experienced a lot of racism, and I thought I could contribute by helping to create this initiative, which is meant to bring communities together and foster mutual understanding,” he recalled.
The organizers consider the current moment—due to “what is happening in terms of politics, many violent incidents, and the considerable racism affecting refugee and migrant communities”—as “an opportune time” to hold this festival.
The Refugee Week follows an open, “completely decentralized” format, allowing anyone to propose and execute initiatives.
So far, around twenty events—including exhibitions, concerts, workshops, poetry sessions, picnics, and community gatherings—are planned in Lisbon, Covilhã, Porto, and Leiria (the schedule is available at https://www.instagram.com/refugeeweekpt/).
From June 16 to 22, people from various backgrounds will reflect on “The Power of Community,” this year’s theme, focusing on “the impact of collective gestures and human connections in the world we build together.”
On June 21, in Lisbon, the Jardins do Bombarda will host a community picnic featuring performances by refugee artists from Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Algeria.
