refugee crisis

Rachel Kalpana James, one of the artists involved with the exhibition, explains that all the artists who contributed to There’s Room have had experiences or a personal connection to migration. Each artist has a unique story about crossing borders—some have lived in Ottawa for many years, whereas others have recently arrived.

Directed and written by Antonio Agugliaro, Gabriele del Grande, and Khaled Soliman al Nassiry, On the Bride’s Side tells the story of five refugees who travel to Sweden from Syria in search of a new beginning. The film will be screened at the ByTowne Cinema on Jan. 28 by One World Film Festival (OWFF) and One World Arts, followed by a discussion on the war in Syria and refugee support.

In search of the migrant reality, I decided to visit a nearby Syrian refugee camp in Paris. Located just outside tourist hotspots, the camp was a stark contrast to what I’d grown accustomed to in my first month. In the middle of the road an entire community was set up. About 60 families, from children to the elderly, were centred around a camp lined with tents and laden with garbage.