The Migrant Festival

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ikon’s third annual Migrant Festival was postponed.
The Migrant Festival celebrates the contribution made by refugees and migrants to Birmingham and the UK, whilst bearing witness to the hardships and sacrifices involved.

From 20-21 June 2020, as part of World Refugee Day and Midsummer Festival, Ikon and Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham compiled quick-fire, home-produced, soapbox videos on the theme of Refugee Week 2020: “To ‘imagine’ means to picture something you can’t currently see. To step beyond the current moment, and perceive something different.” #RefugeeWeek2020 #BhamRefugeeWeek #Imagine

The film is available to watch on this page and Ikon’s YouTube channel.

Ikon’s 2019 festival included a talk with artist Hew Locke and Rt. Hon. David Lammy MP, focusing on the campaign for Windrush British Citizens, and an introduction to the Stuart Hall Archive at the University of Birmingham. Artist and designer Osman Yousefzada staged a second fashion parade, between Selfridges and Ikon, and Celebrating Sanctuary held concerts with Haitian and Syrian musicians.

Event Date

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Image Credits

1. Fashion Parade — with Osman Yousefzada, The Migrant Festival 2019 2. Artwork by Ahmed Magare, Quarantime (2020) 3. Espoir Njei, #IAmEspoir 4. Nifeo Costa, Alleluia (2020) 5. Resiz Amos, Ode to the inner refugee (2020) 6. Felicity Allen, changing the language changing the landscape