The power of creation: Art as advocacy for refugees

By BETH CROSS

Melbourne artists are providing hope for refugees in the face of an issue that has become a massive global problem.

Projects such as actor Jessica Hackett’s 2017 play Journey of a Thousand Smiles are giving a voice to the unheard stories within the refugee crisis.

The Australian Human Rights Commission continues to criticise Australia’s treatment of refugees, and with 65 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, Ms Hackett said the arts are needed now more than ever.

 “Right now, it seems like it can’t get any worse, and then it does. It feels like you’re banging your head up against a brick wall,” she said.

Asylum seekers continue to confront adversity as the Federal Government prepares to launch welfare cuts, and the closure of Manus Island sees significant complications.

Migrant and refugee support agency  AMES Australia spokesman Laurie Nowell said these issues stemmed from the “demonisation” of refugees.

Mr Nowell said the best way to combat this was to tell stories that “go to the heart of the fact that we are all human”.

Ms Hackett said that she would like to see “the big stars” tell more of these stories in their art, and “appeal to the mainstream crowd”.

“We need something big … the start of it is having those mainstream people involved," she said.

The arts have been proved to hold more than an advocacy role in this issue. Research by Queensland University of Technology last year found that the emotional wellness of refugees was significantly improved by involvement in arts projects.

Melbourne Artists for Asylum Seekers  president Azizeh, herself an asylum seeker, said practising art during detention allowed her time to become “precious and meaningful”.

Working with refugees through MAFA, Azizeh said this was common, with participants often overcoming mental health struggles.

“Art has given them the strength to express themselves,” she said. “[It's] the therapeutic power of art.”

MAFA’s exhibition Awakening continues online, and Ms Hackett’s A Journey of a Thousand Smiles will tour rural Australia in 2018.