THE National has collaborated with the Scottish Refugee Festival to produce a special edition front page highlighting the contribution of refugees in our country.
Created by oil painter Nii Sackey Vanderpuye and graphic designer Anupa Joshy, who were also commissioned to design the festival poster this year, the poster aims to celebrate those "who have made lives here, built friendships here, raised families here, created here, cared here, and given so much to Scotland simply by being part of it".
It comes after far-right race riots in Glasgow saw three people injured in attacks based on their skin colour, and two police officers injured, in the wake of a stabbing attack by a Sudanese man in Belfast.
Editor Laura Webster commented: "This artwork was commissioned prior to the violence of the past few days. But the hostility we've seen in the streets of Glasgow only highlights the need for events like the Scottish Refugee Festival, and shows why the media must use its platform to tell a different story – a positive story, where we hear of the invaluable contributions refugees and asylum seekers have made here.
"Time and time again, we see that refugees and asylum seekers are so often collectively blamed for the actions of individuals in a way that white, European people are not. We see them targeted in their homes, on the street, in our politics and in the media. This beautiful artwork on our front page shows a different way forward."
Festival co-ordinator Huss added: "This year’s Refugee Festival Scotland feels especially urgent. It comes at a time when refugees and migrants are too often spoken about with hostility, rather than met with care.
"The cover does not ask whether refugees belong in Scotland. It begins from the truth that they already do. Refugees are part of Scotland, woven into its present and shaping its tomorrow."
