The Horizons Festival returns to Manchester this weekend run by HOME Manchester and Community Arts North West.
The festival showcases the creative contributions of refugees through newly commissioned theatre, performance, visual art, film, music, community events and family-friendly workshops.
Horizons Festival 2024 opens on Friday with a programme including a new theatre piece from A.M.M. Noor-Saiyem Khan, commissioned by the festival. The production, Hanimale, presents a portrayal of the refugee experience.
Also on Friday the voluntary organisation Afrocats presents a dance piece by sanctuary-seeking women choreographed by Maisha Kungu.
In a panel curated by national advocacy organisations Refugee Action and Asylum Matters, audiences are invited to join campaigners with lived experience of forced migration to hear about the national Communities Not Camps campaign, which advocates for the right for asylum seekers to continue living within communities
On Saturday, Horizons presents a North West first, welcoming Counterpoints Arts’ critically acclaimed No Direction Home comedy show to the stage. Featuring stand-up comedians from refugee and migrant backgrounds, No Direction Home is headlined by Tadiwa Mahlunge, who was one of Rolling Stone magazine’s picks of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023.
On Sunday, Horizons hosts a series of films, including a newly commissioned short film made by film-maker Valeriia Lukianets, who came to the UK from Ukraine in 2022.
Throughout the festival, HOME will host visual art commissions including an installation by Deeqa Ismail and a commission by Nisa Chisipochinyi. HOME’s café bar will be home to a banner crafted by a group, including people who have experienced forced migration, who have worked with textile artists Kate Rothery and Vicky Richards in CAN’s Global Thread creative workshops. The banner features global textile techniques and repurposed fabrics
When does Horizons Festival 2024 run at HOME Manchester?
Horizons Festival 2024 runs at HOME Manchester from 21-23 June 2024. The full programme is available on the HOME Manchester website.
Horizons Festival 2024 – image of Angelina Abel courtesy Karen Dore
