Tuface
The World Refugee Day was celebrated across the world with a rainbow of cultures and stories amidst songs, dances and food. Thousands gathered at various camps to watch performances from young and old, to celebrate their mother tongues, recount their stories, remember traditions and share foods from their homelands.
In Nigeria, legendary afro-pop singer, Innocent Idibia, popularly known as ‘Tuface’, has shown support for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The multi-talented singer made his presence felt at an event last week organized by the United Nations Refugees Agency to mark the world refugee day.
Tuface, who called on the general public and other celebrities to join in the support of IDPs, took advantage of the occasion tagged ‘Standing with the IDPs’ to premiere his new single Hold my hands. He stressed that though he is influential, he can’t do it all alone, which is why he is soliciting for more support from others.
Also, from Thailand, a Nigerian scholar undergoing Rotary Peace Fellowship at the Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Dr. Biola Adimula, has called on governments to work together and be more welcoming and supportive of refugees, while citizens across the world can sign the #WithRefugees petition organized by the United Nations, http://www.unhcr.org/world-refugee-day.html, which calls on governments to make sure that every refugee child gets an education; every refugee family has somewhere safe to live and every refugee can work or learn new skills to support their families.
According to the lecturer at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, “the least we can do is to welcome refugees into our communities. It is time that we acknowledge the strength, courage and perseverance of refugees and the contributions they make to communities around the world.”
