Stories of Humanity’s Struggles for Survival
A programme of events exploring personal responses to war, poverty and disaster
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Dates
24 June 2017 (historic exhibition)
About
To coincide with Armed Forces Day (24 June 2017) and Refugee Week (19 – 25 June 2017), Discovery Museum is hosting a number of events on Saturday 24 June that both explore and challenge these two apparently contrasting themes and tell the stories of how people respond to war, poverty and disaster.
Refugee Week takes place every year across the world in June. In the UK, Refugee Week is a nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities. The 2017 Refugee Week focus is Different Pasts, Shared Future and will take place 19 – 25 June.
Discovery Museum’s ‘If You Lived Here…’ is a programme of events, exhibitions and activities based around the installation of a United Nations High Commission for Refugees shelter on Challenger Plaza, in front of the museum. Exploring the global issue of displacement, survival and shelter in the 21st century, visitors are asked to consider: 'What does it mean to be displaced? How would you feel if you were forced to leave your home, your family and the country you live in because of something out of your control - war, poverty, famine or disaster? How would you survive?'
The programme also features a Fix-It Café, temporary exhibitions, food tasting and film screenings.
The UK’s Armed Forces have a global humanitarian role in addition to protecting the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, including peacekeeping duties and humanitarian aid. Visitors will have the opportunity to find out more by visiting the 201 (Northern) Field Hospital and see equipment used in emergency situations. Army personnel will be on hand to talk about their deployment to Sierra Leone to help in the Ebola crisis.
Saturday’s programme features a Florence Nightingale-era nurse, who will be demonstrating first aid and medical procedures used in the 1850s, including leeches. There will also be an opportunity to examine army medical equipment from the museum’s object handling collections, dating from WWI through to the present day.
