Ireland and Syria both have strong oral and literary traditions. So a "shared stories night" was an obvious event for Culture Night in Thurles, Co Tipperary. Thurles has been home to 12 Syrian refugee families for the past six months.
"Syrian children attended summer camps here recently in art and drama, but it was felt something interesting could also be done with adults," explained Brendan Maher, artistic director of the Source Theatre, Thurles.
"Within Syria, there is a strong tradition of al-Hakawati or storytelling and it was felt a story night would be a way of taking the focus away from the ongoing refugee crisis and political headlines into a more normalising situation. For all they've been through, people still want to get on with their lives."
Ten men and women from Syria and Ireland were eager to participate in contemporary and historical storytelling at the Source, with various themes from fairies to emigration and migration. With the use of a Teleprompter, translations from English to Arabic were possible.
The families moved to the midwest as part of a resettlement project under Ireland’s commitment to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Migrant integration
The project is supported by the
Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration
, which operates under the Department of Justice and Equality.
Resettlement worker Sally Daly, who works with the North Tipperary Leader Partnership said the Culture Night event was part of a series being organised to help Syrians integrate.
“The tradition of storytelling is an obvious connection. There is a very strong body of Syrian literature and a lot of exciting female Syrian writers, but we are trying to connect in other ways too.
“Six months is a very short time, but in that time we have established a women’s art group and a men’s chess and cards group that locals and Syrians attend. The families here are really keen to meet the Irish community,” Ms Daly said.
The refugee community in Thurles are from “all parts of Syria and from various backgrounds”. At the moment, they are receiving English lessons but fluency could be helped greatly by contact with locals.
