A PAIR of refugees are to perform Persian classical and folk music, interspersed with conversation around the censorship of music and cultural expression, at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival.
New Scots Aref Ghorbani, an Iranian-trained classical musician who sought sanctuary in the UK in 2018, and Zozan Yaser, a Kurdish journalist, photographer, and human rights activist whose campaigning forced her to flee home after being arrested by the Turkish government, will perform together in the event on August 13, 2022.
Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) combines all forms of artistic expression including music, opera, dance and drama in performances across the month of August.
Celebrating its 75th year, the festival invited the Two New Scots to the stage as part of its new Refuge series, to acknowledge the contribution that EIF co-founder and refugee Rudolf Bing made to Scottish arts, as well as the “profound impact” that all refugees have had and continue to have on arts and culture across the UK.
Already ambassadors for Refugee Week, a yearly festival celebrating the contributions of refugees across the UK – and taking place from June 20-26 – the duo will explore the “experience of state censorship and the everyday restrictions placed on cultural leaders and communities”.
The event will take place August 13, 2022 at 3pm at The Studio, Edinburgh with a ticket price of £10 (concessions available).
And for more information on Refugee Week, visit www.refugeeweek.org.uk
