Refugee Tales walks and tells stories, in solidarity with asylum seekers and refugees, calling for an end to indefinite immigration detention.
Every summer since 2015 the Refugee Tales project has walked between 50 and 80 miles, reclaiming the landscape for the language of welcome. Taking Chaucer’s great poem of journeying as a model, established writers, working in collaboration with those who have experience of the UK asylum system, have written and told their tales en-route. Through that sharing of people’s stories the project has gathered and communicated the experiences of migration, seeking to highlight the cruel, damaging and costly practice of indefinite detention.
Within the hostile environment surrounding the current asylum debate, Refugee Tales seeks to bring the human stories of asylum seekers to a wide audience and to influence those with power to bring change to the policy of indefinite asylum detention. Refugee Tales has created a profound sense of purpose and community and remains relentlessly optimistic that change will come.
Join Refugee Tales to hear poet Ian Duhig read ‘The Walker’s Tale’, first person testimony from the subject of the tale, and an introduction to the Refugee Tales walk that uses the model of The Canterbury Tales for contemporary pilgrims showing solidarity with refugees and detainees.
Ian Duhig was born in London to Irish parents. He is a poet, librettist and playwright and has won the National Poetry Competition twice. He worked for 15 years with homeless people, and has held fellowships at several universities. He is a dedicated friend to Refugee Tales.
Photo Credit: Chris Orange