Refugee week went by in such a blur of COVID crisis and Black Lives Matter protests that it proved challenging to fully appreciate the ingenuity and creativity of organisers in transposing workshops, film discussions, concerts, art exhibitions and stand-up comedy into the online space so that people could continue to meet and connect.
Now that lock-down is gradually lifting and the resulting acute needs are also easing, it is wonderful to be able to take the time to to reflect on the wonderfully moving poetry on the theme of IMAGINE that was written as part of Brighton & Hove Libraries’ Refugee Week flash fiction competition.
My father was a mapmaker,
Every brush and stroke, miles of his labour, carrying our home on his back and me, on his shoulders.
One day, a man who hates maps; the father-thief struck.
Now, I close my eyes and imagine the kinder world left uncharted.
Halima Katun – winner under 18
I strongly recommend exploring the other winning entries on Facebook
