Evening of Syrian culture Stories and song at St John’s Church
An evening hearing about the experiences and culture of Syrian refugee families living in Perth will take place later this month.
The Perth branch of Amnesty International is hosting a ‘sounds and stories from Syria’ evening at St John’s Episcopal Church on the city’s Princes Street on Wednesday, September 26.
The evening will take place from 7.30pm and aims to share the experiences of Syrian refugee families with the families themselves serving a range of refreshments in the church.
Internationally acclaimed guitarist Ayman Jarjour will also be performing at the evening.
Betsy MacQueen, who runs the Perth Amnesty International group, said: “Welcoming the Syrian refugee families has led many of us in Perth to know and understand more about Syrian culture.
“Last autumn, one of the younger refugees helped introduce the internationally acclaimed Syrian guitarist Ayman Jarjour, playing breathtakingly at St John’s Episcopal Church in Perth.
“This year, we are delighted that Ayman will again be with us.
Syrian guitarist Ayman Jarjour will be performing
“This time he will be joined by his Scottish wife, Alyson, in what promises to be a fascinating evening - he will delight us with his music, while she uses story to explore cultural differences between Syria and Scotland.
“She is a diplomat working in intercultural communications, and is about to take up a post in the Middle East.
“Alyson and Ayman met in New York as graduate students and have travelled the world since then, acquiring two children and a Sudanese street dog in the process.”
Since the civil war broke out in Syria, displacing thousands of residents, the couple have been keen to promote Syrian culture and welcome refugees from the war-torn country to Scotland.
Betsy continued: “They’re deeply concerned about Syria, but living in Scotland, they were unsure how they might help the situation.
“Eager to play a part in welcoming Syrian refugees to Scotland, they work with Forth Valley Scotland.
“They have also set up a charity, Medical Aid and Support for Syria (MASS).
“As well as hearing from Alyson and Ayman, we will be privileged to hear one of the Syrian refugees share her compelling story, and Syrian families are again in charge of refreshments.
“The evening is free, but donations will be equally shared between MASS and Amnesty International.”
The concert will take place in the Episcopal church on Friday, September 26 from 7.30pm.