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Belonging: Voices of London's Refugees

27 October 2006 to 25 February 2007, Museum of London

A new exhibition revealing the experiences and contributions of refugees in the capital opens at the Museum of London on 27 October 2006. Belonging: voices of London's refugees presents powerful interviews, photographs, objects, art, and film to tell the personal stories of why refugees come to London, the challenges of their new lives, the barriers they face, and the immeasurable contributions they make to the city. People from more than fifteen communities are included - from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

The voices of refugees are at the heart of the exhibition - powerful, moving, sometimes humorous, always inspiring. What is it like to be forced to leave your country? How do you build a new life in exile? And how on earth do you get a grip on London? The exhibition explores the importance of family, the role of community and culture, perceptions of London, challenges and achievements, and ideas about home and belonging. All visitors will find themselves questioning their assumptions about refugees and leaving with a new understanding about who refugees are and how they help to shape the city. Visitors who are or have themselves been refugees will also find much to be proud of, while their children will learn more about the experiences and cultures of older generations.

The Museum of London has worked in partnership with the Evelyn Oldfield Unit, London Metropolitan University and fifteen refugee community organisations to collect more than 150 extraordinary in-depth life story interviews and to create this exhibition. Belonging also features work created through collaborations between local museums and community organisations as part of the London Museums Hub Refugee Heritage Programme. These are complemented by some of the Museum's earliest audio recorded interviews, with Jewish refugees who arrived from eastern Europe in the late nineteenth century, as well as interviews with people who came at the time of the Second World War.

Some of the evocative items which, together with the personal stories, bring home experiences of loss and struggle, and of finding one's feet and making a difference in London include:

Professor Jack Lohman, director of the Museum of London, said:
"This exhibition provides a space where the voices of London's refugees can be heard. It acknowledges the contributions they make to every aspect of the capital while showing the challenges they face in creating a new life here. As the repository of London's stories, it is crucial that the Museum of London works in partnership to put on exhibitions which reflect the multicultural city we live in. Belonging does just this, drawing together people from many different backgrounds to reflect on how their lives have been influenced by London and how, in turn, they have helped to shape the city we know today."

Tzeggai Yohannes Deres, director of the Evelyn Oldfield Unit and one of the people featured in the exhibition added:
"When I arrived in London in 1986 from war torn Eritrea, my dreams were big, my expectations were low - I only wanted to be safe. After over twenty years I have built up a whole second life. Like many refugees, I've worked in the community, the public, the voluntary and in business sectors. After my first visit to Eritrea, I realised that my identity is made up of many different facets, but more than anything I feel and think I am a Londoner. This is where I belong. The exhibition is so important because it will allow us to share our experiences with the general British society and show our contribution to the prosperity and diversity of London."

Belonging: voices of London's refugees
27 October 2006 to 25 February 2007
Museum of London
Admission free
Open Mon-Sat 10am to 5:50pm and Sun 12 to 5:50pm
www.museumoflondon.org.uk for more information and related events
Tube: St Paul's, Barbican and Moorgate
View a map

Notes to Editors:

Refugee Stories