5000 miles – BCB Radio Interview World Refugee Day 2017

As part of World Refugee Week 2017 Sharon from verd de gris will bring two young Afghan boys to Bradford BCB Radio to talk about their incredible and harrowing 5,000-mile journey from their homeland.

After witnessing their fathers being killed by the Taliban the boys walked alone, at the age of 13, from Afghanistan to the UK. They are now 15.

As part of our work with these amazing young men, project leader Sharon writes with them, paints and listens to their recollections. Sometimes this involves singing songs, often lullabies, which comforts them – long to hear their mother’s voices singing to them again: helping them sleep, calming their nightmares. Both boys seek an elusive peace in their hearts after all the pain and struggle they have had to endure.

These boy’s mothers made the greatest sacrifice – sending their boys out into the unknown, in the hope that they would reach safety and have the chance of a better life. Below is a ‘sound poem’ the boy’s have created with us … and this will be broadcast as part of the interview on 20th June.

The soundscape is an homage to and a lament for their mothers. All the words are their own … speaking and singing in Pashto (their native tongue) and English (which they are mastering so quickly). Please spend some time with the thoughts and prayers of these two remarkable young individuals …

and spare a thought for their mothers who gave everything so that they could be free

5000 miles

We are very grateful to Deeyah Kahn for allowing us to use part of her beautiful singing of ‘Allaho sha Allaho’ – Deeyah dedicated this lovely Pashtun lullaby to her mother and the children of Afghanistan.

A Creative Communities project developed in partnership with Square Chapel Centre for the Arts and funded through Big Lottery Fund