World Refugee Day

20 June 2018 was World Refugee Day and to commemorate this day several events have been organized. Over the course of history, people have moved to other countries for many reasons: survival, hunger, persecution, climate change, and a new future. Sometimes they even move for love. Without migration and travel, the Mediterranean wouldn’t be what it is today: a region with a rich array of cultural backgrounds and heritage.

The Maltese poet Antoine Cassar wrote a poem about this theme, called Map of the Mediterranean. This poem moved Malta-based composer Luc Houtkamp (compositions, electronics and woodwinds; project leader) along with Guy Harries (compositions, vocals, flute, electronics) and Tom Armitage (keyboards) so deeply that they’ve created a show around the theme of migration in time for World Refugee Day. As Antoine Cassar recites his own poem, the experimental ensemble perform newly composed songs about migration, the Mediterranean Sea and the current refugee crises.