PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
07.02.2019
The Peace Museum
10 Piece Hall Yard
Bradford
BD1 1PJ
Rosanne Robertson
rosanne.robertson@peacemuseum.org.uk
First-hand accounts of LGBT+ people's experience of seeking asylum in the UK presented in Bradford during LGBT History Month 2019
Image: MANCHESTER, 24 July 2017 - Megan Nankabirwa (blue hair tips) and her partner Lydia Nabukenya in Manchester's gay village. The pair fled Uganda, where homosexuality is outlawed, after they were discovered to be in a relationship. Credit: Christopher Thomond.
This Is Who Is Am presents first-hand accounts of LGBT+ people seeking asylum in the UK about their experiences in their own country and on arrival in the UK, addressing the particular challenges they face. These accounts are read by members of the Actors for Human Rights Network, an outreach project run by ice&fire who are a London based theatre company exploring human rights stories through performance.
"Then they separated us. We tried to say no, we applied for asylum as a couple. They say we don't have any civil evidence that we are a couple. And we're like - how can we show you any civil evidence if homosexuality is forbidden in my country?"
- testimonial from This Is Who I Am.
This event is produced in partnership with The Peace Museum in Bradford and is presented at Kala Sangam on Thursday 21 February at 7.30pm, during LGBT History month 2019. This Is Who I Am is part of the museum's current project Peace OUT exploring Peace and LGBTQ+ activism which will result in an exhibition launched during Bradford Pride 2019. #peaceout19
This event will be chaired by Kala Sangam's Creative Director Alex Croft and will be followed by a Q&A discussion. There will also be a short introduction to The Peace Museum and their Peace OUT project by project manager Rosanne Robertson.
Alex Croft, Creative Director of Kala Sangam said:
'I'm delighted we've been able to work in partnership with The Peace Museum to bring such a significant piece of work to the city during LGBTQ+ History Month. As a venue in a city that is now home to many refugees and migrants, This Is Who I Am feels like a timely, important piece of work for us to be presenting on our stage.'
This Is Who I Am is one of Kala Sangam's events this spring where audiences Pay What You Decide - which means theatregoers don't have to pay anything until they have seen the show. Tickets are limited and are on sale now at www.kalasangam.org/thisiswhoiam or call the box office on 01274 303340.
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Notes to editors
Performance details:
Date: Thurs 21 February, 7.30pm
Tickets: Pay What You Decide
Box Office: 01274 303340
Book online: www.kalasangam.org/thisiswhoiam
Kala Sangamis an intercultural arts hub based in the heart of Bradford city centre which reflects the diversity of contemporary Britain through the work it presents, the artists it supports and the communities it engages. In addition to the company's two performance programmes a year, Kala Sangam delivers outreach activity in schools and communities across Bradford and throughout the country, as well as delivering classes and workshops in a number of art forms.
Kala Sangam is under 5 mins from both Bradford train stations, next to Bradford Cathedral and facing The Broadway.
Kala Sangam, St Peter's House, 1 Forster Square, Bradford, BD1 4TY.
www.kalasangam.org I 01274 303340 I info@kalasangam.org
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The Peace Museum explores the history and the often-untold stories of peace, peacemakers, social reform and peace movements. It occupies three small galleries in one of Bradford's many fine Victorian buildings. It is the only accredited museum dedicated to peace and peace-making in the UK and has a collection of over 7,000 objects.
www.peacemuseum.org.ukI01274 780 241Iinfo@peacemuseum.org.uk
ice&fire explores human rights stories through performance. ice&fire put human rights at the core of everything they do to make accessible theatre for a wide range of audiences across the UK. ice&fire are a London based theatre company with a distinct and determined voice, developing original theatre pieces from human rights testimony and documentary evidence.
Actors for Human Rights is an outreach project run by ice&fire founded in 2006 and is a network of more than 700 professional actors across the UK who are dedicated to drawing public attention to human rights concerns. The UK network was launched at Amnesty International, London and operates all over the UK.
www.iceandfire.co.ukIinfo@iceandfire.co.uk