Refugee Camp and Wall of Oblivion at The Addison Road Community Centre

As part of the activities to raise awareness about the issues affecting refugees across the world, The Addison Road Community Centre, Reverse Garbage and members of the local community have rallied together to erect a refugee camp and ‘Wall of Oblivion’ at the Centre as part of Refugee Week, Sunday 16 June to Saturday 22 June.

Refugee tents, protest banners and a desolate environment depict the state of refugee camps around the world and confronts onlookers with the harsh reality about refugee displacement and the loss of human rights, privileges and resources while enduring devastating conditions brought about by war and famine.

Reverse Garbage have built the refugee camp from reuse materials and it is a small reflection of the harsh conditions faced by refugees across the world in camps and detention centres. Men, women and families have faced death to flee their countries to find freedom and safety, only to be imprisoned behind fences like prisoners. As many of the banners at our installation proclaim, these refugees are people, not prisoners. It’s time we made detention centres history.

In addition, a reflective Wall of Oblivion has been created at the Centre, filled with the faces of children supplied by local families and primary schools – a small, but significant reflection of the thousands of children held in detention centres throughout the world. Under different circumstances it could be us and our children behind these fences, stripped of our security and freedom.

The refugee camp and Wall of Oblivion can be viewed at The Addison Road Community Centre until the conclusion of Refugee Week.