The Sussex Refugee Migrant Self Support Group set up ‘Refugee Valentine’ in 2016 to celebrate love and diversity in their community, and have run this event ever since except during the pandemic. ‘Refugee Valentine’ is back this year and it will be bigger than ever in a new venue, The Old Market in Hove. The event is based on the belief that love transcends borders.
The event will take place on Tuesday 14th February from 7-11pm at The Old Market, Upper Market Street, Hove, BN3 1AS and will showcase four different acts from the refugee, asylum seeker and precarious migrant communities to celebrate love and connection:
Bakk Lamp Fall (West African Fusion)
Son Guarachando (Latin & Salsa)
Dina & Polina (Ukrainian Folk)
Sukhrob (Tajikistan Trad)
Ticket options and further details are listed HERE.
Refugees are people who have already crossed borders to find love in new communities. They can show us the way to transcend differences. It’s differences that bring us together and Refugee Valentine takes love beyond monogamous pair bonding, to begin with rebuilding a community that celebrates difference.
Brighton & Hove is a welcoming City of Sanctuary that celebrates its diversity. Last but not least, Refugee Valentine is also about experiencing some joy in the face of the hostile environment government policy for those caught on the wrong side of the border.
Further background information:
The Sussex Refugee and Migrant Self-Support Group is a sister organisation of Thousand 4 £1000 (T4K), a local charity. They are a group of refugees, asylum seekers and other forced migrants. They work together to support each other in overcoming obstacles placed on them by the Hostile Environment, and help build space for themselves in Brighton.
One of their major projects is the Jollof Café. They cook food from their countries of origin to facilitate community harmony and connection. It provides a space where they can welcome the settled community and take part in the life of the town, rather than being passive recipients of support. The cafe runs every Wednesday afternoon, 1-3pm at West Hill Hall, Compton Avenue, Brighton. All of the proceeds go to support destitute members of the self-support group.
Thousand 4 £1000 is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered with the Charity Commission in the UK (charity registration number 1171590). Its aim is to be a community response to enforced homelessness amongst forced migrants. Small donations are pooled from hundreds of people to provide housing and other support to migrants who would otherwise be destitute. Alongside this, T4K has additional projects which help to create a supportive community where all are welcome.
