Festival Refugia shows culture and warns about refugee situation

The Rio Refugia festival started actions this Saturday (17) to remember World Refugee Day, which will take place next Tuesday (20). The activities, which range from a gastronomic fair to cultural workshops, games for children, music, fashion and handicrafts from various countries around the world, moved Sesc Tijuca, in the north zone of Rio. It is the seventh edition of the event, held annually by Abraço Cultural, Pares Cáritas RJ and Sesc RJ, with the support of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). According to the organizers, the intention is to highlight the struggle and achievements of people who were forced to leave their countries of origin as a result of wars, serious violations of human rights or various persecutions. “We want to make people reflect on the conditions of refuge, promote integration between peoples and the culture of peace. It is a great event to unite people from all over the world who are in refugee situations, working well on the issue of respect, acceptance and embracement”, said the assistance manager at Sesc RJ, Thais Castro. The partnership between Sesc and Cáritas began in the second edition of the festival. The manager stated that during this period it was possible to observe that the event is highly anticipated during the year. Visitors return and bring other people, helping to publicize the event more. “The children who came five years ago, today, the issue of human rights is already known and understood, the importance of welcoming all peoples, who must be against xenophobia and racism. (RJ), 06/17/2023 – Cultural fair Rio Refugia celebrates World Refugee Day at Sesc Tijuca, north of the city Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil – Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil In today’s program there were talks by refugees – one of them spoke about the book he wrote and which is for sale at the meeting. In addition, the public was able to discover typical dishes from Nigeria, Venezuela, Syria, Colombia, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Culinary also promotes this respect, this knowledge that liberates. So let’s get to know the food of another country, what the process is like, respect those who are here in our country in a situation of refuge and bring a typical dish to present. Gastronomy is also a way to respect these peoples, ”she noted. The public was also able to participate in cultural workshops and learn about the work of artists from Latin rhythms and from countries on the African continent, with performances by the Angolan DJ Joss Dee and the bands Saoko and Coral do Rei. “We are multilingual, we have already worked on percussion, music, calligraphy, which is very important in some countries, specific representations such as turbans and handicrafts. We bring multilingualism to show plurality in the event”, he said. The manager explained that, during the year, the partnership continues to serve refugees arriving in Brazil, with services such as regularizing documents and learning Portuguese. “We brought together important partners, each with their expertise. There’s Abraço Cultural on the language issue, there’s Cáritas with the documentation and the Sesc with all the multilingualism. We work with the refugee in a holistic way, we try to close the circle so that he feels good in the country. We know that income generation is super important and, therefore, it is fundamental that they present their products to generate income”. Rio de Janeiro (RJ), 06/17/2023 – Rio Refugia cultural fair celebrates World Refugee Day at Sesc Tijuca, north of the city. Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil – Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil Displaced Persons According to Cáritas, the United Nations (UN) Global Trends report, released this month and which presents data on refugee status around the world, pointed to the existence of 108.4 million people globally displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events that disturb public order. Among these people, 35.3 million are refugees and 62.5 million are internally displaced. In May of this year, the total number of displaced people exceeded 100 million. There were still 5.4 million asylum requests and 2.6 million with new applications.

Agência Brasil