What does migration mean to you?

We have so many memories from this year’s Refugee Week. It is one of the most joyful weeks of the year, and this year’s arts festival was no different. We danced, sang, and talked together all in celebration of the creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.  

This year’s celebrations were especially sweet as we hosted our first arts workshop all about migration stories. As part of a brand-new project, we’ll be travelling around Wales to celebrate our shared history and hear what migration means to us all. It’s an opportunity to encourage people to tell their own stories and to offer an alternative to narratives that treat refugees as victims or villains.  

Our first stop with this exciting project was at Cardiff Central Hub. Alix Edwards is a visual artist and poet who led our arts workshop in Refugee Week. With care and kindness, Alix opened the group up to share what migration meant to each member. She spoke poetry while our group reflected on the place migration holds in a Wales of the past and present.  

What started out as a blank paper canvas soon gave life to the group’s ideas and feelings. Through paint, chalk, feathers, ribbon, and glitter — lots of glitter —  these individuals worked together to create something magical.

We cannot wait to take this mural with us as we journey around Wales with this project. Or to see what others create on this theme of ‘What migration means to you’.

Thank you to Alix Edwards for leading this inspiring workshop and to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this project possible.