This month’s edition of Peace & Justice News focuses upon displacement, with a series of articles on refugees, IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) and asylum seekers; their journeys, their struggles, and the political, environmental, legal and economic factors which have led to their displacement.
Following on from the twelfth annual Refugee Week – the UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events and activities that celebrates the contribution of refugees to the UK and promotes better understanding of why people seek sanctuary – we have Nicola Chuhan’s The Power of Art, a passionate review of sixteen Palestinian refugees’ performance of traditional Dabka folk dance, one of the many events which contribute to this important, educational and cultural week.
Palestinians make up the world’s largest group of refugees, and the intertwined themes of Palestine and displacement continue throughout this edition of the News; Brian Larkin’s review of the latest event in Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre’s Speaker Series, Dr Omar Shaban of Gaza’s Pal-Think Institute talk, delivered last month, details the realities of modern life in Gaza, while Colin Douglas suggests ways in which we in the UK can – through boycott, disinvestment and other forms of nonviolent action – challenge the root causes of Palestinian displacement and the region’s ongoing conflict.
One of our newest volunteers, Pita Catt, an Australian lawyer with expertise in the field of immigration, outlines the case against governmental outsourcing of refugee detention, while Thomas Leith of Edinburgh’s Tibet Society writes of perhaps the world’s most famous refugee, the Dalai Lama, and his recent visit to our fair city.
Amongst other articles on our theme of displacement, regular features include Unsung Heroes, News from Around the Movements and Centre News.
The editorial staff would also like to take this opportunity to thank Angus Doyle for his ongoing contribution to Peace & Justice News as the graphic artist behind our striking cover page.
Ellie-May Richmond
