Celebrating Sanctuary

Celebrating Sanctuary

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This track is an audio montage of moments recorded throughout the exchange, including warm-ups, rehearsals, sound effects and some of the songs not included on the CD.

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This song was written and performed by a detainee called Buss. He had written a poem for his unborn child, and brought it to the artists so they could help him record it. He wanted to send it to his partner to let her know he was thinking about them both.

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

The lyrics of this musical theatre style song are written from the perspective of a detainee. The girl singing really captures some of the emotions felt inside an IRC: frustration, fear, loneliness and not belonging.

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This song was written and sung by the school pupils. It has a joyful chorus, intended to cheer up the detainees, with a slower, more reflective middle section. 

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This poem was written and is performed by Dino Maphosa, a detainee at Colnbrook. After hearing the children’s pieces he asked if he could record a poem in response, and this led to a spontaneous outpouring of poems, a capellas and messages from many other detainees.

Dino’s poem describes the way he feels having been detained for over two years with no release date. “My wings are locked. I cannot fly.”

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This gentle and lilting song, written by pupils at Harlington Community School, has some of the most haunting lyrics of all of the children’s songs on this CD. The girl singing really appears to empathise with the detainees at Colnbrook and the effect of their situation on their emotional and mental health. She reflects on their experiences, singing about restless nights and keys rattling. “Weakness and pain, awaiting the day that I break away, survival and strength.”

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This song, written and sung by a young girl at Harlington Community School, asks a question many detainees undoubtedly ask themselves: why me? She reflects on what it might feel like to be detained for an indeterminable length of time – it’s always another day, not today – and how it might affect someone psychologically – “trapped in a maze.”

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

After hearing the children’s songs and poems, the detainees poured out a series of poems, a capellas and messages in response. This song is by a detainee called Walumba Lumba and is about life cycles. He explains at the end of the track that nobody really knows where we come from – that only God knows where we are before we reach our mother’s wombs before birth, and only God knows where we go after the grave.

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This poem is by a pupil at Harlington Community School. He imagines himself in the detainees’ position showing his understanding and empathy towards the detainees in his discussion of poverty and lack of family. He talks about exclusion, and his culture having “no significance”, as well as a more positive hope for the future. 

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This track is a collection of messages and poems from the detainees to the school pupils, thanking them for their songs and their involvement in the project. “One day we’re gonna be free like birds, singing together.” There is also a very touching message from one of the project’s music practitioners about how overwhelming the project has been – “It’s the best job in the world to come and work with you guys.”

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This track constitutes a collection of messages from the children to the detainees, including songs, messages of good luck, and ‘thank you’s. These messages and songs demonstrate the empathy the children developed for the detainees over the course of the project.

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This song was written and performed by the pupils at Harlington Community School. It is about the importance of having friends and family nearby to keep you strong and motivated. They express gratefulness for their own circumstances and urge the detainees to be strong in theirs.

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This song was written and performed by a boy at Harlington Community School called Ronnie. It features a heavy bassline and is from the perspective of a detainee. He raps about ‘that girl’ who he misses and can’t see because he is in detention. He tells a story about their difficult relationship and his past criminal life, and then his experience of living in detention. He asks, “Why me?”

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This song was originally written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, and is performed here by Dino Maphosa, a detainee at Colnbrook IRC. After hearing the children’s songs and poems Dino asked if he could record something in response, and this led to a spontaneous outpouring of poems, a capellas and messages from many other detainees. As he explains at the beginning of the track, Dino heard this song the previous Christmas when he was in prison, and he was touched by it, having not seen his family for a while.

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This song was written and performed by pupils at Harlington Community School. It consists of spoken verses against a single piano line, from the perspective of somebody suffering in detention, and sung choruses with a warm, acoustic guitar: “Although the scars from yesterday remain, you can go on living as much as your heart believes. You can’t be born again, although you can change. Let’s stay together always.”

CD: 'Celebrating Sanctuary'; Music provider: Music for Change

A project with detainees at Colnbrook IRC and Year 8 & 9 pupils from Harlington Community School, as part of National Refugee Week. This culminated in a performance at the Southbank Centre, at their festival ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’. You can read about this exchange project under the ‘Projects’ tab: http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/projects/celebrating-sanctuary/.

This song was written and performed by pupils at Harlington Community School. It features an electric guitar riff written by a pair of rock fans, who imagine they are detainees when they lament “I’ll never learn to rock ‘cause I’m stuck here behind bars.”