In October after training a wonderful group of Speech & Language Therapists including one Occupational Therapist, invited by Iannis Martinis of M-Learn in Athens, I visited The Ergon Refugee Education Centre on Lesvos, Greece with my husband Peter. He had found, in Athens, a beautiful old book about The Dove Houses of the Greek Island of Tinos, with their ancient lace like architecture and unique place in the landscape and sky. We met young people at Ergon who had fled from Somalia, Chad, Mali, Iran, Afghanistan and Gaza. They came from war, torture, starvation, intense, vast bereavement. They were humble, and humbling, they made each other laugh. We fought back our tears as we listened to whom they had left behind and what they had been through. They were learning English in this old olive-oil factory, which they are renovating with my cousin’s daughter, Sophie, and other Movement on the Ground co-workers, near the Mytilene Refugee Camp, where they live. Sophie’s enthusiasm and empathy are infectious. She is clearly so loved and respected. It is amazing that she can be at this evening, to share the work at Ergon with us. ‘Far from the Dovecote’ comes from R.M Rilke’s poem about encountering fear & sadness and reaching a state of tenderness and serenity – recovering the heart. I’ll be telling some poignant & light-hearted tales of birds and angels based on my work as a speech & language therapist. I’ll also recite a little poetry, all translated by a wonderful British Sign Language Interpreter. Plus, it is a great honour to have exquisite Afghan music and songs played by master musicians – in the first half, Milad Yousofi on rubab, who was born in Kabul and is now based in London. Then, John Baily, on rubab, with Veronica Doubleday singing and playing daireh. They both lived in Afghanistan for two and a half years. John and Veronica will be accompanied by Sulaiman Haqpana on tabla. The evening is in aid of Ergon Education Centre- run by the charity www.movementontheground.com. With deep thanks to everyone who is making this evening possible, not least, the refugees.
A little about the Musicians:
John Baily gained a doctorate on human spatial coordination and motor control from the University of Sussex and in 1973 he became a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Social Anthropology, Queen’s University of Belfast. He collaborated with John Blacking in conducting two years of ethnomusicological fieldwork in Afghanistan. He directed the award-winning film Amir: An Afghan refugee musician’s life in Peshawar, Pakistan. From 1988-1990 he was Associate Professor in the Centre of Ethnomusicology, Columbia University, New York. He joined Goldsmith’s in 1990, and is now Emeritus Professor of Ethnomusicology and Head of The Afghanistan Music Unit.
Veronica Doubleday studied literature at the University of Sussex and then went to live in Iran and Afghanistan with her husband John Baily. She is an author, musician and academic, recognised as a tradition-bearer and specialist in Afghan women’s music. Along with many publications Veronica has made the CD: Ustad Muhammad Rahim Khushnawaz: Afghan Rubab with Songbirds (Felmay, 2016) and written ‘Three Women of Herat’ – about making friends with three very different young women. With her unique repertoire of Afghan songs, Veronica continues to perform, accompanied by John and sometimes with other noted musicians. Since the advent of the Taliban to power in 2021, they have given several fund-raising concerts to support urgent charitable causes.
Sulaiman Haqpana learned to play tabla in Pakistan, following his family’s 1990’s migration from Afghanistan. He has previously performed at the British Museum, SOAS University, the House of Commons, and the Holywell Music Room in Oxford. Sulaiman is now a doctoral researcher at Brunel University’s Department of Education. He is also part of Grand Union, a network of ESRC doctoral researchers from Oxford, Brunel and Open Universities. Sulaiman’s research aims to explore the religious nature of Islamic private schools in the United Kingdom. He got his Master’s degree from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He has 7 years of professional experience working for the United Nations and I-NGOs in Afghanistan.
Milad Yousofi is from Kabul. He has been invited to play at The White House, The British Museum, V&A, Royal Festival Hall, at exclusive gatherings for The Royal Family, Heads of State and Government, Ambassadors and other dignitaries. He has composed for BBC programmes as well as a number of films and theatre productions. Milad promotes the precious sound of Afghanistan’s musical traditions and hopes to evolve the genre with his unique musical experience. (https://www.rubabsounds.com)