“Why is this booklet called Refuge? Because every day, more and more people are becoming refugees“
Refuge! brings together storytelling, poetry and visual art.
It is the result of a collaboration between the St. James Episcopal Church in Florence, the Nuova Associazione Culturale Ulisse (NACU) and SIS Intercultural Study Abroad in Siena.
The booklet was created by artist Eleanor Maria Makepeace, with the support of Nevin C. Brown (Senior fellow at SIS Intercultural Study Abroad) and Lavinia Bracci (Founder and director of SIS Intercultural Study Abroad). Together they gathered testimonies and lived experiences from refugees and asylum seekers, who regularly take part in NACU’s activities fostering social and cultural inclusion.
Most of the personal stories featured in this booklet reflect the journeys of asylum seekers and refugees from Pakistani and Afghan backgrounds.
The booklet also includes some testimonies of Ukrainian refugees in Florence.
The poems and illustrations, centred on themes of travel and migration journeys, integration and belonging, are by Eleanor Maria Makepeace.
The booklet is available below in English (PDF format)
