Refugee Week in Manchester is marked by Journeys Festival International with new art project

Journey’s Festival International is back with more enlightening stories hidden around the city.

Interactive and illustrated posters have been dotted around Manchester bringing stories from people seeking refuge in the UK.

Sun Up, Rain Falls, River Rises is a storytelling project created by Journeys Festival, the UK’s first Festival of Sanctuary, in partnership with Phosphoros Theatre Company, Danish Composer Mira Siegel and UK based illustration team Pickle Illustration.

The locations have been carefully chosen to bring a clear atmosphere of the stories.

“Enjoy The Dawning in the early morning, soak up the story behind After the Rain just after a downpour and take your time to delight in My Life as a River as you enjoy some time by the waterside.”

By scanning a QR code, the posters will link to artwork and audio stories from Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan, along with music by Danish composer Mira Siegel.

Maddie Smart, Executive Artistic Producer for ArtReach and Journey’s Festival International said: “Mental health has really been brought to the forefront of everybody’s mind since the pandemic began and we’re hoping that taking some time to yourself, to enjoy these stories, will offer people a little mental respite from their daily chores.

“The stories, soundtrack and illustrations will allow people a chance to take a breather and be transported into a world far from their own.

“It’s easy to scan the codes at each location and we really hope that people will enjoy these little artistic insights into other people’s lives around the globe.”

2021 is the 24^th yearly celebration of the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary and it offers a platform for refuge-seeking artists to share their work to a wider audience.

You can find the locations for these stories and enjoy the rest of this year’s Refugee Week programme of events at www.journeysfestival.com