News & Updates

The three-day festival brought together refugees, host communities, government representatives, refugee-led organisations, development partners, civil society, artists, students, and members of the public. It combined panel discussions, exhibitions, storytelling, poetry, cultural performances, networking, and community dialogue with practical access to services.

Participants received documentation and renewal guidance, Social Health Authority registration support, legal information, and referrals for education, livelihoods, and social services. Sixteen exhibitors presented art, crafts, digital technology, fashion, and culinary enterprise, while cultural performances represented communities from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, and Burundi.

What the festival heard

Across the programme, participants called for the Shirika Plan to move from policy commitment to practical implementation; for refugees to be recognised as leaders and contributors; for resources and decision-making to move closer to refugee and host communities; and for long-term investment in livelihoods, education, health, documentation, and refugee-led solutions.

Culture and storytelling were central to that work. Through film, poetry, sport, art, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and personal testimony, refugees shared experiences of displacement, resilience, identity, and belonging in their own voices—challenging stereotypes and building connections with host communities.