Amina Khayyam - Breaking Barriers and Celebrating Diversity
Amina Khayyam Explores the Artistic Challenges Faced by Migrant Communities and Advocates for Embracing Migration - 3 Mins Read
Tell us about your journey here to the Migration Matters Festival?
We were performing at the Edinburgh Fringe last year at Dancebase when Sam Holland, the director of MMF, came to see the show. And then we had a call that he wanted us to be part of the festival as our theme of ONE related so much to the festival’s.
We are a company of seven with diverse experience and heritage backgrounds from Bangladesh, India, Scotland, Hong Kong and England. We all have one thing in common - and that is to share and inspire people with our stories
What is the biggest barrier you have faced and how have you tried to overcome it?
As artists from migrant and diverse communities, it is always a challenge to find opportunities to make work that is an expression of yourself as more often that is not easily understood. But you must keep going – keep persisting and eventually someone will listen and want to share our stories. As a company we have been going for 10 years and just recently we received NPO funding from the Arts Council. So, I guess you have to be strong willed and believe in yourself, believe in your work.
Why do you think we should celebrate migration?
We should celebrate migration because all of mankind’s history is of migration.
Whichever version of evolution you subscribe to – whether we started from the cradle of Africa thousands of years ago or whether we sailed on Noah’s ark – the fact of the matter is we migrated from somewhere to somewhere. It is in our instinct to survive and if what is happening in the world today – that resources to survive are no longer there – whether because of war or capitalism gone wrong - everyone has a right to seek a better life.
We should acknowledge and celebrate that characteristic of ours – not be subjected to the trauma that is dished out every day by politicians and media to advance their own divisive and limited view – that migration is villainous.
How can people stand with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants through personal actions?
To start with, labels such as ‘asylum seekers' and ‘refugees’ are not helpful. These are all the negative legacies of the world wars. We are all the same species – we are all human, and therefore everyone is equal and should be treated as such. I think the minute we dispense away with such terms, categories, name calling – we will be an equal society.
What misconception surrounding migration/your culture would you like to change?
The developed world needs to change the way it sees the less privileged and vulnerable - it needs to recognise that people who flee their birth countries do so for a number of reasons - from natural disasters to the legacies of colonial rule and loot.
I would like to change any privileges afforded to anyone just because of their colour, wealth, and privileges in life. Wouldn’t it be great to ‘judge’ people purely on their individual merits.
It was so wonderful to see how UK and other European nations openly invited the Ukrainian refugees to their homes and to be able to work legally.
Why wasn't the same response afforded to other nations like Afghanistan, Syria etc? After all, many of the current issues within those countries are as a result of colonial rules and other issues created by the ‘developed’ world’s interference in the first place.
Which one thing do you hope people take away from the festival/your performance?
We hope the audience will leave the show questioning the world we live in and how each of us have the power to make a small contribution towards making the world a better place with equal access for all no matter the race, creed, background, disability, and sexual orientation, but overall, be informed and also entertained.
