Refugee Week: Discover a Story

Refugee Week was 17-23rd June this year. At the end of 2023, an estimated 117.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing the public order. For context, that's roughly the same amount of people as the entire population of the Philippines, or double the population of Italy.

Refugee Week is the world’s largest arts & culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Established in 1998 in the UK, this annual festival aligns with World Refugee Day, celebrated globally on June 20th.

Through their 'Simple Acts' programme people are encouraged to Discover A Story. Stories are a way of making sense of the world and our place in it. They help us connect with other people and ourselves. By reading and listening to stories about refugee experiences, we can deepen our understanding of the impact of forced migration and displacement.

That's where we come in! We've pulled together a selection of books from the list created by Refugee Week for you to browse (and added a few of our own recommendations too).

Gif/Illustration by Manjit Thapp