Refugee Week marked by art and advocacy at City St George’s, University of London

A panel event and cartoon exhibition marked Refugee Week at the University

Published Thursday, 31^st July 2025

City St George’s, University of London marked Refugee Week 2025 with a panel and cartoon exhibition, bringing together staff and students to reflect on displacement and solidarity.

Organised by law student and Human Rights Solidarity (HRS) volunteer Beyza Deniz, the event featured a panel discussion and an exhibition of cartoons exploring the realities of global displacement.

Beyza, who chaired the event, opened the evening with a reflection on art and asylum. “Art is the ultimate asylum seeker - when voices are silenced in one place, they find refuge in another,” she told attendees gathered in the Law School.

Event organiser and first-year law student Beyza Deniz

Panel discussion: home and belonging

The panel discussion brought together academic, legal and community perspectives. Speakers included Professor Francesca Strumia, Immigration Law Professor at City St George’s; Michel Salamouni, City Cares adviser; Burak Batuhan Karakus, a human rights lawyer and HRS spokesperson; and Afghan-British storyteller Sanjar Qiam.

The conversation, shaped around this year’s Refugee Week themes of home and belonging, highlighted the legal protections available to refugees, the role of student support in integration, community-led activism and the use of narrative to reclaim identity. A core message shared by all was the transformative power of collective action.

The panel event explored themes of home and belonging

‘Humanity Cartoons’ exhibition

Displayed in the University’s Pavilion, the Humanity Cartoons exhibition featured more than 750 works from artists across 100 countries, each addressing aspects of the refugee experience.

Humanity Cartoons is a global art initiative that uses cartoon illustrations to raise awareness about the challenges faced by refugees and immigrants. One particularly arresting piece showed a child balancing on a sinking boat while clutching a diploma, embodying both vulnerability and unbroken aspiration, explained Beyza. “These cartoons are a cartography of survival,” she said in her closing speech.

Refugee Week: awareness, empathy and action

From striking cartoons depicting real-life experiences to academics and activists mapping paths forward, the event explored how collective action can be an instrument for change. On organising the event, Beyza said:

“As a law student deeply committed to refugee protection and human rights, I saw this as an opportunity to combine my legal studies with my passion for advocacy. I had the honour of delivering both the opening and closing remarks, helping to frame and reflect on the powerful discussions.

“My involvement came from a genuine place of care. Not just for legal reform, but for the lived experiences behind displacement. Refugee Week is about awareness, empathy and action. I was proud to help create that space within our university.”