The Van Abbemuseum held an event to mark World Refugee Day yesterday. It included a theatre performance and a photography exhibition entitled ‘Photo Voices’.
The Van Abbemuesum has worked with Vluchtelingen in de Knel for the past nine months. Vluchtelingen in de Knel is a non-profit organisation that defends the basic human rights of refugees. ‘Vluchtelingen’ is the Dutch word for refugees, and ‘in de knel’ refers to a state of feeling stuck or lost.
Through the event at the Van Abbemuseum, refugees were offered the chance to tell their stories to local people. The evening was filled with music, theatrical performances and open discussions.
The event also marked the official opening of the Photo Voices exhibition. Through a series of workshops, refugees learned how to portray their story through photography. The photos in the exhibition are the end products.
The aim of the event was to raise awareness of and humanise refugees and their stories, as Vluchtelingen in de Knel says that they are too often misrepresented in the media.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Rachael Vickerman
