Hearing refugees’ side of the story through arts

In 2012, Syrian refugee Hasan Al-Akraa and his family left their home due to war and arrived in Malaysia seeking asylum.

Last year, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nottingham Malaysia. He is now working for a local NGO called Asylum Access, which provides legal services to refugees and asylum seekers.

“I'm also overseeing my non-profit organisation (Refugee Emergency Fund) which provides financial assistance to those in need,” Hasan told Malaysiakini.

This year, Hasan heads the task force that is organising The Refugee Festival, which will be held from Sept 8 to Sept 10, at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

Founded in 2016 by investigative journalist Mahi Ramakrishnan, The Refugee Festival is an annual event that offers Malaysians the opportunity to interact as well as be entertained by the refugee community here through their cultural expressions such as music, dance, art, and storytelling.

The programme...