Image, Show, and Song

Two photo exhibitions, one in Poole and one in Salisbury, as well as a spectacular Poole multi-media concert, will allow local people to engage with Christian Aid’s work in protecting and uplifting some of the world’s most vulnerable people, in the face of violence, natural disaster, and economic exploitation.

Tales and images of some of the world’s 40 million internally displaced people can be seen in the Uprooted photographic exhibition which opened at Poole’s St Luke’s Church on Friday 13 April.

The exhibition is touring the country to raise the profile of internally displaced people who flee from conflict, climate change, natural disaster or threat and yet who are denied the official protection afforded to refugees who cross borders.

A set of photographs will highlight the personal stories and vulnerability of people forced to leave their lives behind by Boko Haram in Nigeria, conflict in Iraq and intense drought in Kenya.

The free exhibition, available to view during church opening hours, until Sunday 22 April. Christian Aid’s regional coordinator for Dorset, Fiona Daborn, will speak about the charity’s campaign for greater protection for internally-displaced people at the church’s 10.30 a.m. service that day.

Fiona Daborn said, “We want to make sure that these millions of people with brutally interrupted lives, torn from everything they know, are neither out of sight nor out of mind.

“The stories themselves inspire us with examples of how host communities and individuals have extended generosity and hospitality to welcome in these strangers and give them dignity and hope.

“The people of Dorset have shown time again their care and concern for their vulnerable global brothers or sisters and we are delighted to be able to share these stories with anyone who can visit the exhibition or join the service.”

The UN’s member states are working towards forming agreements in September on migration and refugees, but neither look set to include protection for internally-displaced people. For more information about the exhibition or to join Christian Aid’s campaign for action on the issue visit the Christian Aid page here.

Meanwhile, the vivid colours of the Bolivian rainforest, and the vital fight to protect the environment for its indigenous communities and the world, will be brought to Salisbury from 20 April when an exhibition opens at Salisbury Methodist Church.

The Inherit the Earth exhibition tells the story of three supporters and their journey to see the work the development charity is carrying out in South America’s poorest country.

Christian Aid has worked in the Amazon for 20 years helping indigenous people threatened not only by logging, mineral extraction, road building and beef farming, but also by climate change with severe flooding affecting many communities.

The exhibition will show how the charity works with local people and organisations to give communities a voice, establish their right to land, and help them take advantage of new eco-technologies, such as water pumps and solar ovens.

Katrine Musgrave, the Christian Aid Regional Coordinator for Wiltshire, said, “Most people will never have the chance to visit the rainforest and yet it evokes very powerful, deep emotions in all of us. The sheer majesty of creation, the unimaginable wealth of diversity sits side by side with appalling devastation caused by man’s short-sighted greed.

“This shows how we don’t have to be bystanders, but we can all play a part in safeguarding indigenous communities so that their livelihoods, their environment - our environment - is protected for generations to come.”

Also in Poole, pupils at St Edward's School are testing their singing, sound, lighting and staging skills in an exciting collaboration with a local composer as they work towards an innovative fundraising musical event next month.

Songs of the Light, a show centred on twelve songs, is the brainchild of Poole-based Conical Sphere Music, and will raise money for Christian Aid’s work helping marginalised communities across the globe.

Displayed on a giant six metre screen, the show will accompany the musical performances and explore people’s journeys from darkness to light, including stories of families impacted by hurricanes and storms on Haiti, the country featured in this year’s Christian Aid Week (13-19 May).

Conical Sphere Music director and lead artist, Richard McLester said, “As a community interest company, we are particularly interested in up-skilling and giving people access to opportunities they may not otherwise have had.  We believe that if people are given the opportunities, they will help not only themselves, but uplift the community around them.

“To that end, everything you see in the performance at St Edward's - the films, music, bespoke wireless control systems, even the giant projector screens, has been made by teams made up almost entirely of volunteers and young students.

“We are of course not only members of a local community but also a global community and we're proud to say that all the funds raised from this event will go towards the work of Christian Aid which works across the world to help uplift people who have so little.”

How to see these exhibitions and shows

Poole: Uprooted can be seen during church opening hours at St Luke’s, Wellington Road, Parkstone, BH14 9LF. The exhibition will close with a special service on Sunday 22 April

Tickets for Songs of the Light, held at St Edward’s School, Oakdale at 7pm on Friday 27 April, are available in advance for £6 each through the Conical Sphere Music website: here and through St Edward’s School.

Salisbury: Inherit the Earth will be on show at Salisbury Methodist Church, St Edmund’s Church Street, Salisbury SP1 1EF. Visit between 10am and 12 noon, Monday to Saturday, from Friday 20 April to Monday 21 May.