On 6 December 2017, Professor Alison Phipps, UNESCO Chair of Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts at the University of Glasgow, spoke to a capacity audience about Refugee Stories from Scotland. Beginning and ending her talk with the sea – ‘the sea has locked them up’ – Professor Phipps highlighted not a refugee ‘crisis’, but a crisis of reception and a crisis of hospitality. She spoke about the criminalisation of humanitarian endeavours that offer help to those seeking sanctuary, of containers in refugee camps being used to keep people immobile, and about the dehumanising xenophobic language of negativity and hostility that accuses refugees as stealing goods and livelihoods.
There is a need, then, for a positive discourse to circulate within the public sphere, rather than continue xenophobic tropes that have characterised the history of immigrants, including groups such as the Huguenots and the Jews. And rather than the constant re-traumatising that arises from a focus on journeys, Professor Phipps advocated utilising poetry, music and film to tell stories of meeting, greeting, and eating. People love to share their language and the audience viewed clips of various ethnicities providing welcome greetings to Scotland in their language, including from a Kiwi. With possibly the world’s first ever integration strategy, the Scottish government advocates use of the term ‘New Scots’ instead of ‘refugees’. Although ruled from Westminster and unable to legislate for immigration, Scotland does have devolved care for refugees. This can take many forms including statements such as ‘You have honoured us by making Scotland your home’.
We were honoured to have Professor Phipps so eloquently and passionately share with us her work with New Scots and the ways that Scotland is working to ensure harmonious refugee resettlement. Among such examples is the following musical collaboration, ‘A Time Will Come’, between Ghanaian artist Naa Densua Tordzro and Scottish singer and composer Karine Polwart: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/b0N1nKxcRkvWLQsdStTHw8/new-european-songbook-united-kingdom-karine-polwart-and-naa-densua-tordzro : ‘Will a time come when you might need help?’
