Inspirational English, Issue 39, July/Aug 2017 Inspirational English, Issue 39 July Aug 2017 | Page 8

Continued from previous page
On Sunday, 25th June, the Oxford Concert this about the British culture that students
party and friends set up a beautiful flotilla find the most fascinating?
of paper boats across Bonn Square in
Oxford. What do the tiny boats represent?
A difficult question! I think that the most
important aspect of British culture is our long
The boats represent trade and travel and history of tolerance and freedom of
exchange of ideas, celebrating our expression. Children are very good at both
multicultural society. They also commemorate questioning and acceptance.
those who have lost their lives in the
Mediterranean.
The project “Waving Hello” also involves
refugees and asylum seekers. I have
worked with young refugees and I have to
admit that at moments it was heart-
breaking to see the pain and sorrow in their
eyes. How do you involve them in your
project?
We were honoured that an older lady who had
escaped from Uganda where she had suffered
great brutality at the hands of the militia came
to one of the schools we worked with and
shared her story. The children were fascinated
and clearly deeply affected as we all were. I
Some of the activities that you organise are know they will remember her all their lives, and
set in the Ashmolean Museum. What do hopefully that contact will imbue them with a
you intend young students to learn there? sense of humanity and justice. She is a
member of a group of refugee women who we
The children looked at three galleries in the have got to know during the project. Many of
museum: the Silk Road, where they learnt them helped to make boats for the final
about the importance of trade and travel and installation, and a number of them came to
exchange of ideas; the Indian gallery where Bonn Square. We also made contact with a
they studied Ganesh, and the belief that women's group from Refugee Resource, and
Ganesh protects travellers; the Islamic gallery had a wonderful story-telling and music
where they looked at the wonderful decorative session with them where they all sang a
pottery illustrating how different cultures beautiful Muslim song. These women also
influence and inform art. helped to make boats.
It’s wonderful that children in the UK have
the chance to grow up in a multi-cultural
society. Based on your experience what is
Waving
Hello
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