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Arts and peace charity Artsawonder is to host a public forum on migration, integration and community relations in Carlingford next week. The event, titled "The Kinship of Difference", will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel on Thursday 27 August from 2pm to 4.30pm.
The forum will be hosted by songwriter and peace activist Tommy Sands and forms the closing session of this year's Thomas D'Arcy Magee Summer School, which has focused on culture, identity and inclusion.
The event is intended to address the topical issues of migration, integration and neighbourliness by hearing from both those who have protested against migration and those who have experienced its effects directly. The format will combine public interviews and reflection with live music and poetry, with organisers hoping attendees can learn from differing viewpoints and consider community solutions together.
A panel of community organisers, human rights scholars and cultural figures is due to take part. Speakers include Tinu Achioya of the Cultúr Migrants Centre in Dundalk, which works on rights and inclusion for refugees and asylum seekers, and Israel Eguaogie, community coordinator for Belfast City of Sanctuary and founder of Diverse Youth NI.
Also taking part is Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, Chief Imam of the Islamic Centre of Ireland and head of the Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Council, along with Tura Arutura, a Zimbabwean-born philosopher and sean-nós singer based in Belfast who works on connections between African and Irish cultural traditions.
Spencer Beattie, a Shankill-based community activist and member of the Progressive Unionist Party, will offer perspectives from Unionist and working-class communities, while Dr Ron Dudai, a Jerusalem-born human rights scholar and visiting professor at Queen's University Belfast, will also speak. Dr Dudai previously worked with Breaking the Silence, an organisation which documents military testimonies.
Speaking ahead of the event, Tommy Sands said: "We cannot find real solutions if we only talk to those who already agree with us. This afternoon is about moving from suspicion to neighbourliness by leaning into difficult spaces, using music and poetry to heal, and truly learning from one another."
Everyone is welcome to attend.
