STORIES OF SANCTUARY

Stories of Sanctuary - the concept

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‘Stories of Sanctuary’ is a touring performance piece rooted in the cultural history of the Northern England that highlights the hidden histories of diversity and sanctuary (from ancient Celtic saints, to Syrian roman soldiers, to the global silk trade of Northumbria, to migrant workers, to modern day refugees).

Every time Citizen Songwriters performs ‘Stories of Sanctuary’, the stories change depending on the place of performance.

In Durham, for example, Syrian singers told their own story of seeking sanctuary from the 2011 civil war in Syria with local stories of Saint Cuthbert as a 'sleeping refugee' as well as the ancient practice of sanctuary seeking. The performance piece featured local folk musician Paul Martin, singer-songwriter Sam Slatcher and classical Syrian viola player Raghad Haddad from the National Syrian Orchestra. 

In Sunderland, the performance piece featured a new song all about Sunderland as a sanctuary by the sea and a bridge across the ‘sunder’/separate land as well as the home place of Saint Bede, the 7th century scholar, poet and spiritual leader who lived in multicultural Jarrow with its global trade links. Together with modern day stories of refugees seeking sanctuary from across the world (from Iraq to El Salvador), the performance brought alive the rich migration that shaped Sunderland from the shipyards to the glassworks as well as new arrivals who work in education, health care and other public sector jobs, and who have made a significant contribution to Sunderland's booming arts, culture and heritage sector. 

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Each performance involves local communities, especially people who are seeking sanctuary, who are invited to learn about different local stories of sanctuary seeking and then encouraged to have a go singing the ever expanding repertoire of songs. The project is run by Citizen Songwriters' professionally trained singers, musicians and workshop facilitators who have over 15 years of experience of running community songwriting projects between them. You can find some of the songs from the Stories of Sanctuary project in the album 'Stories of Sanctuary' which was released in 2018. 

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