Ahead of World Refugee Day today, Tel Aviv celebrated the local refugee, asylum seeker and migrant community in Dizengoff Center on Friday. Organizations and their beneficiaries gathered for music, dancing, art, and all around jubilation to show the strength of their community along with their accomplishments.
Upon arrival, a mixture of tunes from DJ Dargham created the perfect space for the tiniest attendees – refugees and the children of refugees themselves – to express themselves. Dargham Azhri, known to most as DJ Dargham, 28, is a refugee from Darfur, South Sudan. His mixes provided the ultimate backdrop. The event was hosted by Tel Aviv’s Hotline for Refugees and Migrants in conjunction with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the African Refugee Development Center (ARDC), and Elifelet. Organizations and shops like Kuchinate and Tonly Couture Fashion, as well as the Negev Refugee Center made appearances as well.
The event saw a consistent flow of foot traffic over its three-hour span
Educational resources were not in short supply spanning from pamphlets and postcards to artworks.
One notable resource was a pamphlet entitled Double Vulnerability: Women and LGBTQ Refugees and Migrants in the Israeli Migration System. For those looking for specific data and research on a range of topics spanning Israel’s unwillingness to consider gender-based asylum claims, to the treatment of transgender detainees as well as women and children in detention – this resource provided in-depth reports and case studies about the painful realities of seeking asylum as a member of an already marginalized population.
Another organization Kuchinate, a vibrant and colorful female-run art and design NGO, which acts as a community resource to all women involved. Kuchinate serves hundreds of African refugee women and their families residing in South Tel Aviv. According to their website, Kuchinate means “crochet” in the Eritrean language of Tigrinya. At the event, some of their handwoven baskets were on display for sale, but the real stars of the show were their colorful flags and table runners.
The organization itself provides not only jobs to female refugees, but life skills courses such as weekly free English classes and other courses providing transferable skills to women to contribute to the workforce.
Another important community resource was Elifelet, an NGO centered on overcoming government negligence toward asylum-seeking children. It strives to provide support for the tiniest tots through after-school programs and an educational framework that gives the children the best chance possible to be successful despite the cards they have been dealt.
Some of Elifelet’s most enthusiastic little ones were present at the festivities, tearing up the dance floor and marching to their own beat.
This event showed how a refugee can brave robbers and kidnappers, trek through the Sinai desert, overcome the pain and hardship and turn it into truly breathtaking work for all to enjoy.