European Launch of ‘Footsteps on the Wind’
Hope seeds scattered into the animation ‘Footsteps on The Wind’
Footsteps drawn by unaccompanied refugee survivor children in London… their symbolic worlds inspired story seeds of ‘Footsteps on The Wind.’
Just before Lockdown I was invited to contribute story development to an animation about unaccompanied refugee children. Drawing on a workshop at ‘Young Roots’ in which director Maya Sandbar, Fernanda Zaffari and myself ran a creative workshop asking young people to draw what they wished other people knew about what is to be made a refugee. The spirit of our footstep drawings along with our dancing, hope stories and singing together became rooted into the animation Footsteps on The Wind. The voices of so many young people being left to travel this world unaccompanied cannot be lost on the wind. The animation is intended as a catalyst for change and also to be used as an educational and therapeutic resource for those having faced and experienced traumatic journeys. Sting’s beautiful soundtrack ‘Inshallah’ acts as a wave of music constantly drawing on hope and wishes for a more humane future in which refugee children are welcomed. It was a pleasure to work with friend and fellow author Onjali Q Rauf to plant our story seeds and activism into this animation and for Farrah Serroukh of Campaign for Literacy in Education to create resources around it.
To date the animation is garnering international acclaim at film festivals around the world.
(See the website for full information about the incredible international creative team.)
https://www.footstepsonthewind.com/
Some of the story seeds readers of my work might recognise planted here include:
Themes of climate chaos and Shifa’s dandelion seed heads and dangerous journeys in ‘Where The River Runs Gold.’
The fruit tree of home seeds that Amir carries with him and his sea crossing in the short story ‘Amir and George.’
Listen to the reading here.
Jide’s Jackson’s orange scarf (more red in the animation) carried from the Rwandan Refugee camps in ‘Artichoke Hearts.’
Here are some pictures from where we have screened the animation so far.
Maya Sanbar, Fernada Zaffari Thunm, Jane Ray and myself at The South Bank where we screened ‘Footsteps on the Wind’ on October 23rd 2021 ahead of our production of ‘ Swallow’s Kiss’ and the welcoming of Good Chance Theatre’s Little Amal.
At the European Launch of Footsteps On The Wind at the Serpentine Gallery with Farrah Serroukh and Onjali Q Rauf.
After the screening of Footsteps on The Wind at Stratford Libraries welcoming an Afghan family to Stratford.
Onjali Q Rauf, Zain I and myself at Stratford Libraries. Zain from Syria is completing her training to become a doctor just as Jide does in ‘Tender Earth.’ That iconic red ruck sack of Ahmet’s, Jusuf also carries with him in the animation ‘ Footsteps on The Wind’ as the children seek a safe place to call home as well as welcome in school.
I have explored these footsteps with students in Brussels and next stop is a screening at Seven Stories in Newcastle where I will be discussing Where The River Runs Gold and themes of Climate Chaos and refugee rights at the time of COP26.
