Community festival to mark World Refugee Day in Tallinn on Thursday
This Thursday (June 20), the Estonian Refugee Council will host a vibrant community festival at Tallinn's Telliskivi Creative City to mark World Refugee Day. The festival, which takes place between midday and 4 p.m. aims to show solidarity with people living in Estonia who have refugee backgrounds.
According to Mirjam Rennit, specialist in the Estonian Refugee Council's education and awareness program, World Refugee Day highlights a number of issues related to forced migration.
"There are currently around 120 million people worldwide who have had to relocate due to conflicts or persecution. The community festival is an opportunity to show support for those who have had to leave their homes," said Rennit.
The festival dedicated to World Refugee Day also provides a chance for people from different communities to meet. "On World Refugee Day, we bring together people living in Estonia with migrant and refugee backgrounds, as well as locals. The festival atmosphere allows people to get acquainted with different community cultures through food, music, and creative activities," Rennit said.
The family-friendly festival will include a street food area where people of migrant and refugee backgrounds from Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, and Sri Lanka will sell traditional foods.
Workshops will also be held introducing various cultures and giving participants the chance to learn how to make Turkish bulgur salad and Sri Lankan chai tea, as well as to craft Ukrainian guardian angels. Throughout the day, musicians from Estonia, Ukraine, and Belarus will perform live, and there will also be a selection of games and workshops the area dedicated to children and young people.
The Estonian Refugee Council's migration-themed exhibition "Voices from Crises: Stories of Displaced People" is also on display at the Kolme Puu (Three Trees) Gallery in Telliskivi Creative City. At the festival information area, everyone can ask questions and gain new insights about forced migration and refuges.
The festival takes place on Thursday June 20 from midday until 4 p.m.
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The community festival is organized by the Estonian Refugee Council in cooperation with Telliskivi Creative City, the UN Refugee Agency, NGO Mondo, and Izumi Youth Club.
More information is available here.
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Editor: Michael Cole
