UNESCO Chair on Refugee Integration through Education, Language and Arts

15 Jan 26

The Memory Lab at the University of Glasgow is hosting this event, exploring the complexities of memory, conflict, and peace in our lives. The event looks at how memories shape how communities understand their pasts, define their identities in the present, and imagine their futures. It will delve into case studies that investigate how memory contributes to conflict to address questions such as: How do official narratives sustain nationalism and preparedness for war? In what ways do digital media amplify, reshape, or contest memories of past violence? What can we learn from societies where memory of division remains a site of contestation? At the end of the event, the conversation will turn towards peacebuilding. Hyab Yohannes from the UNESCO RIELA team will be a speaker.

UNESCO RIELA Affiliate Artist Martha Orbach's exhibition is still on display for another week, in the Glasgow Women's Library. A summary: How do we put the pieces together, make a home in the aftermath? With the coot for a muse, and using domestic debris and biomaterials, Martha Orbach began sculpting a series of precarious structures. These little nesting attempts draw on Martha’s Jewish heritage, unusual environmentalist upbringing, and current situation as a domestically incompetent mum trying to make a home. More info and opening times here.

presentation by visiting academic Elif Naz Altaş Kuşhan

From 19 January until 1 February we will be joined by visiting academic Elif Naz Altaş Kuşhan, a Research Assistant at the TED University in Türkiye. On 20 January, she will be delivering a presentation called A Perspective on the Early Literacy Development of Refugee Preschoolers Acquiring Turkish, which will take place in the St Andrew's Building of the University of Glasgow, room 221, from 1:00 to 2:00pm. Free and open to all, no registration needed!

We are so excited that the poetry from Depositions by UNESCO RIELA Affiliate Artist Anton Floyd has been put to music and will be performed at Celtic Connections in Glasgow! Join Rachel Walker, Marcas Mac an Tuairneir: Depositions, Calum Stewart, Luc McNally & Sophie Stephenson for a stunning new suite of songs inspired by the book. Blending poetry, song, and social commentary, Depositions threads together stories of diaspora and clearance, bridging traditional and contemporary styles with clear links to the history and experience of the Scottish and Irish Gael. Get your tickets here.

As part of he Royal Society of Edinburgh's celebration of Mother Language Day, we will be contributing to two events:

If we lose our languages, do we lose ourselves? - 6:00-7:30pm, an exploration of how languages shift with identity across Scotland. Both Hyab Yohannes and Alison Phipps are part of the panel.

Celebrating Scotland’s languages with New Scots - 6:00-6:30pm, in partnership with Friends of Scottish Settlers, you are invited to a series of short language taster sessions led by New Scots. You’ll learn words and phrases from the different languages they speak, get to know new people, and hear about the many cultures across Scotland today.

Journey Matters: unequal borders, travel narratives and refugee integration

is the title of Esa Aldegheri's presentation for the School of Education Research Seminar Series 2025-2026. Esa's presentation will be from 3:30 to 4:30pm in the St Andrew's Building in Glasgow and if you would like to attend, please register your place here

Resonance in Education? Rethinking Encounter, Attunement, and Transformation

One-Day Research Seminar - 9th March 2026 9am - 5pm, Studio 2, Advanced Research Centre (ARC), University of Glasgow 

Register Here

This one-day seminar brings together scholars (academics, students, practitioners) to examine the conceptual, pedagogical, ethical, and political implications of resonance in education.  We invite contributions to critically explore resonance as a theoretical resource for understanding formation, subjectivity, relationality, and transformation within educational contexts.  

Keynote Speaker - Dr Johannes Rytzler, Senior Lecturer in Education at Mälardalen University, Sweden.

SDLL logo exhibition currently at Glasgow Chambers- from 9^th March until 7^th April

Following the success of artworks created by pupils from the project’s partner primary schools, the exhibition showcasing the SDLL logo competition has been extended and will now take place at Glasgow City Chambers.

This is fantastic news for pupils of all ages from Cradlehall, Thornwood and West Primary Schools, who created over 100 designs full of colour, creativity and inspiration. Each entry beautifully captured the spirit and values of the SDLL project.

The exhibition not only celebrates the SDLL’s values but also highlights the incredible artistic talent and imagination of young people. From bold, vibrant compositions to thoughtful and symbolic designs, the pupils demonstrated impressive creativity and skills.

The artworks, which were first showcased at the University of Strathclyde and are currently on display at the University of Glasgow, will move to Glasgow City Chambers on 9 March. The exhibition will feature all 100 artworks and will run until 7 April.

Join us to admire the creativity and artistry on display!

Folding a River - - Poetry, solidarity and shared witness with poets from Gaza [Zoom Recording] - Folding a River

Empowering Narratives – The power of language for shaping agency and resilience

How can language learning become a lifeline for young people facing displacement and uncertainty? Join our upcoming session to explore how storytelling and English language education can empower refugee and marginalised youth to express themselves, connect, and be heard.

Featuring a panel of Alison Phipps, Khawla Badwan, Lucia Maina and more.

Event details here.

KESH: In conversation with Alison Phipps

Closed lecture at Nothingham Trent University. 

Exchange Talk: Art And Identity

Art and Identity – Talk 1
Mutupo: Circles of Interflow

With Tawona Ganyamatopé Sitholé. Tawona shares his praxis which brings his inherited learning traditions from daré – ritual learning and healing space, into the academic setting to create space for communication and getting along.

Book your tickets here.

Professor Alison Phipps will deliver her rescheduled seminar entitled ‘Cultural Genocide, Cultural Justice: Notes Towards Intercultural Education after Gaza’. Wednesday 6^th May, 4-5pm in StAB (r433A/B),

Abstract

Building on work for UNESCO on Cultural Justice, Barometers for Peace and the failure of Intercultural and Human Rights Education this seminar will explore some of the conceptual ground and thinking towards a new monograph entitled Cultural Genocide, Cultural Justice.

It considers the experience Alison has had of 30 years of scholarship in the field of cultural and intercultural education, the effects of the Holocaust, Nakba, Srebrenica, Darfur, Tigray and now Gaza and the erasure of the Palestinian people. It looks at the qualities and conditions identified for rebuilding and restorative education and the place accorded to culture. In particular it explores the role of women in reconstruction work, and of language, building on the Languages Matter: Global Guide to Multilingual Education, launched on Mother Language Day 2025.

The seminar will be exploratory and Alison will welcome questions and contributions from thinkers in attendance after a 20 -30 minute presentation of the ideas.

Alison’s profile is available here:

https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/education/staff/alisonphipps/

Tawona Sitholé will be sharing poetry at the opening ceremony. More information and links to book your tickets for these amazing events on this page.

Momentary and Fleeting: A life documenting conflict and all it displaces is an exhibition of the work of Robin Taudevin and his humane interest in both people and nature: from the first known documentation of Home Office Dawn Raids in Glasgow, to the Timor-Leste armed struggle for full independence, to fragile underwater ecosystems. Curated by his sister, this exhibition considers what has changed in the 20 years since Robin died. The Opening Preview features words and music from members of the Glasgow Girls, Kieran Hurley, Djana Gabrielle, Henry Bell, Nerea Bello and more.

Glasgow University Memorial Chapel | Mon - Fri (exc bank holidays) | 19th May - 2nd Jun | 10am - 6pm. Launch event 19 May 5 - 7 pm | Free entry

Part of the 

9th UNESCO RIELA Spring School: The Arts of Integrating

Our big annual event, looking at creative ways of community building. The theme this year is 'Intergenerational caring & sharing in the context of (forced) migration'. More information and link to free tickets .

Border thinking: showcase of postgraduate researchers in the field of migration research

Join us for a series of short presentations by postgraduate researchers looking at migration, peacebuilding, social change, reconciliation and justice, using art-based methods and the practice of co-creation.

No booking required, just turn op.

Speakers include:

Bria Trosclair – Storytelling as unbordering: reflections on the My Story, Our Future project.
Nerea Bello Sagarzazu - Care-rings: movement of hands, bodies and words.
Yi (Amy) Chen - Through the eyes of adult cross-cultural Kids.
Hsiao-Chang (Hope) Wang – Co-creating the values of World Heritage Sites with refugees
Samira Hasanzade - War vs peace through children creativity
Gizem Karaköse - The strategies of language and social adaptation of old and new Polish diaspora in in Türkiye.
Mengqiu (Jojo) Xi - Diaspora living heritage and identity formation: A case study of the Chinese community in Glasgow

Time: 3:00-5:00pm

Place: St Andrew's Building (11 Eldon Street), room 102

Dear Green Commons: How to share a city

Pinar Aksu will be a keynote speaker at this amazing event, happening on 13 June at 6:00-9:00pm. Dear Green Commons is four public gatherings in June & August 2026 from the Centre for Human Ecology, exploring the commons as a practical foundation for co-creating just futures in Glasgow. More information and tickets here.

Sowing Seeds of Languages

Create your own fantastical creature using natural and recycled materials. Make your own colourful bird and take it on a journey to gather languages. Share your ideas about Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share with researchers from the University of Strathclyde and University of Glasgow.

Organised by the . Find them in the Glasgow Botanics between 11am and 3pm. Part of the Glasgow Science Festival.

Mbira workshop by Tawona Sitholé

As part of Refugee Festival Scotland, we are hosting an mbira workshop in the Peace Garden. No previous knowledge of music required, just turn up and we'll talk you through it. The art of crafting and playing the mbira is inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The practice was banned for years as part of a cultural repression programme and only survived because of brave souls hiding the instrument and keeping the knowledge alive in secret. Through this workshop, we honour those people and help preserve and pass on the music. Places are limited, book yours here.

Film screening as part of Refugee Festival Scotland

In collaboration with CinemARC and GRAMNet, we will be showing a selection of films which speak to migration, displacement and the experiences of those seeking refuge:

The Story of Migration | MIDEQ | 7 mins
Departing | Mary Martins | 8 mins
Untitled | Akram Alashqa | 32 mins
A Story Left Behind | Asma Kabadeh | 14 mins

More details about these films and the event can be found on the registration page. Tickets are free. Event times: 5:30-8:00pm

After the screenings, a panel of filmmakers and researchers will discuss the making of their films, the research that went into it and the topics covered. There will be the opportunity for audience members to ask questions and to join in the discussion.

Panelists: Akram Alashqar, Asma Kabadeh, Mary Martins & Tawona Sitholé.

On 19 June, Asma Kabadeh will host a workshop called Mapping Memory: Somali Presence in the Archives, which accompanies the screening of her film. Workshop tickets can be booked separately through this link.