Moving and harrowing tales of human rights issues were shared when the Liverpool branch of Amnesty International held a storytelling event on Tuesday night.
The event took place at The Casa bar on Hope Street, with a number of thought-provoking and inspiring stories from individuals that have experienced human rights abuses, as well as a number of poems being eloquently read out.
One case included a family’s battle with the justice system, after the father had travelled from Pakistan with his wife and teenage son to complete his masters studies at university, only to be detained after documentation issues, with minimal support and little food.
Amnesty International helps to fight abuses of human rights all over the world, changing oppressive laws and fighting for freedom of speech.
The local branch group meets on the second Wednesday of each month, at Friends Meeting House in Liverpool, with this being the third occasion based on storytelling.
Twitter: Nick Ware
Fascinating and, at times, harrowing insight at the @amnesty event at @CasaLiverpool, where people recounted Human Rights abuses they have suffered in their lives. @JMUJournalism pic.twitter.com/ZmWJdvuWrF
— Nick Ware (@Nick_Ware97) February 12, 2019
The stories were not limited to Liverpool or the UK, with some coming from countries as far as Sudan and Pakistan.
There was also music to round off the night from John Hall, featuring a song entitled ‘Martin Luther King’. It proved to be a fitting ending to a night that was all about hearing people’s stories of determination and making the world a better place.
Mr Hall said: “The storytelling was all good, and the atmosphere was friendly to the point of respect. I guess the purpose was to raise the prominence of Amnesty, encourage the membership to be more active and maybe broaden the membership, getting more people to join.
“It was also to think about what human rights is about, and I think by the end of the night we probably got about as far in that direction as we could without going mad!”
Perhaps the most poignant line of the night came from Chris Allen, who helps to run Ullet Road Rebels FC, a football club in Liverpool made up of refugees.
He said: “Love is a human right.”
BBC Radio Merseyside Broadcaster, Roger Hill, chaired the evening and was pleased with the event, telling JMU Journalism: “There were a lot of people here tonight, perhaps more than was expected, and obviously they listened very hard to a lot of very moving and quite harrowing experiences, so that was a great success.”
Twitter: Nick Ware
A song titled ‘Martin Luther King’ to bring the @amnesty event to a close tonight @JMUJournalism @amnestyliv pic.twitter.com/2i5QQ4wlz5
— Nick Ware (@Nick_Ware97) February 12, 2019