"One is not born, but rather becomes, a refugee."

Refugee Awareness Week (RAW) 2018 was held in commemoration of World Refugee Day, with the theme “Human First”. 

Along with the first-ever screening of Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow in Singapore, RAW 2018 is a reminder of a universal truth we tend to forget: refugees are humans too. 

“Being a refugee is much more than a political status, it is the most pervasive kind of cruelty that can be exercised against a human being.” – Ai Weiwei, Human Flow. 

It is also a reminder that amongst our modern day priorities, do we still value humans first? 

Human Flow, an unflinching film that unveils the global refugee crisis across 20 countries, will be screened at The Projector. 

On 24th (Sunday), AFR and our volunteers presented Fringe Activities and a Market Bazaar featuring works by refugees communities from Lebanon, Jordan, Thailand and Malaysia. After the screening of Ai Weiwei's film, the post-show dialogue joined by Dr Oh Su-Ann from the Yusok-Ishak Institute, Ms Goh Chiew Tong, Producer of Peumulia Jamee and Journalist at CNA Insider, and Mr Jonathan How from Relief Singapore discussed the concept of Human First, drawing from their individual experiences of working with displaced communities.