The group Refugees for Refugees have been invited to perform at the 14th Cyprus Rialto World Music Festival later this month.
The Refugees for Refugees project bring together 10 musicians who are refugees and went to Belgium from Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tibet.
“Fleeing the disasters of their regions of origin, threats impelled them to leave what was once a wonderful land and leave behind an essential heritage, but taking with them their knowledge and their instruments. They have united their diverse musical heritages in order to create a unique repertoire, building bridges between their cultures and putting out a message of hope and resilience,” the band says on its Facebook page.
The group is made up of : Asad Qizilbash- sarod, Aren Dolma – vocals, Fakher Madallal – vocals, percussion, Kelsang Hula – dramyen, vocals, Mohammad Aman Yusufi – dambura, vocals, Simon Leleux – percussion, Souhad Najem – qanun, Tammam Al Ramadan – ney, Tareq Alsayed Yahya – oud and Tristan Driessens – oud
Sponsored by UNHCR, the band will perform at Heroes Square on July 25 at 9 pm. Free entrance.
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Rialto’s annual World Music Festival welcomes groups and musicians who share a rich cultural past and also develop a contemporary musical present, with common origins and influences, organizing a series of events, mostly music, which draw their inspiration from the tradition of each country around the Mediterranean.Â
The Festival takes place every July, centered on Heroes’ Square in Limassol and occasionally various squares in Nicosia.
Since 2012 the Rialto Residency has been organised in villages in the district of Limassol where Cypriot musicians meet and collaborate with guest artists from abroad.
Through residence and joint study of artists, develops a renewed reading of various musical traditions, aiming at a new joint approach. The Residency outcome is presented in concert, first at the village that accommodates it and then at the Heroes’ Square.
Click here for the programme.
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