The Millstream Common Room , University of Limerick
Admission Free.
Sanctuary, the Irish World Academy outreach initiative to refugees, asylum seekers and new migrants is launching three new publications this November. Through music, poetry, painting and storytelling, these three unique projects share the stories of a number of people who have come to Ireland to build a new life.
Fáiltiú / Receptions:
This literacy project, funded in cooperation with VTOS and Paul Partnership tells the stories of 18 Refugees, who talk about their lives and employment experiences since coming to Limerick.
Aland Assiri's first solo album in Ireland:
Aland was born in Kurdistan in 1980. He studied music at the Institute of Fine Arts and was a violinist with the Kurdistan Orchestra for two years. He was a founder member of a successful chamber music ensemble "Shabang" which means Dawn. After this he came to Ireland and sought asylum. Since then he has, amongst many musical activities, completed the Blas International Summer School for Irish Traditional Music & Dance at the University of Limerick (June-July 2005), been a member of the Doras Luimní/Impact Theatre cross-cultural music project "Coffee and Cream" and has completed the Irish Composition Summer School at NUI Maynooth (July 2007).
Two companion books by Jean Ryan Hakizimana and Michael Hayes:
painting, poetry and storytelling are used to share the story of Jean Ryan, a visual artist, born in Rwanda of Burundian parents who fled to Ireland in 1999 following years of imprisonment and time spent in refugee camps. Jean Ryan uses his painting to tell the story of the asylum seeker and the journey of the dislocated.
