Skip to content

Coronavirus: Bristol refugee dance event goes digital

Niki Groom Sketch of the Bollywood DanceNiki Groom
It took Niki Groom five hours to complete the sketches

A women's refugee group has hosted its first virtual dance event, creating a connection some had not had in months.

Refugee Women of Bristol (RWoB) hosted the annual cultural event as part of the Bristol Refugee Festival, which has gone digital due to coronavirus.

To maintain confidentiality it was not recorded, but illustrator Niki Groom recreated the moments with sketches.

More than 70 women took part, with some saying it was the "best connection" they had "had in three months".

Niki Groom Sketch of the Somalian DanceNiki Groom
Illustrator Ms Groom has worked with Refugee Women of Bristol for four years producing sketches

RWoB organisers said they were "surprised" by the amount of women joining the event, which included music from countries such as Sudan, the Ivory Coast, Somalia, Cameroon and India.

Organiser Naget Hussein said the event was a success because "they didn't need to worry about childcare and transport", and there have been requests for monthly sessions.

The group supports about 300 refugee and asylum-seeking women and their pre-school children, and helped those who did not know how to use Zoom to provide access to the event.

One woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "It was so uplifting, this is the most fun and best connection I've had in three months."

Niki Groom Sketch of the Kurdish DanceNiki Groom
Ms Groom sketched the dances during the two-hour Zoom call then added colour later
Niki Groom Sketch of the English Folk DanceNiki Groom
Organisers said it was wonderful to see so many women take part

Illustrator Ms Groom, 44, from Bristol, has been drawing for five years, and said she was asked to create the sketches in a way that "wouldn't be recognisable" to protect the vulnerable women involved.

"I thought it was going to be strange doing it on Zoom, but the feeling you get at the event felt the same, so it was much warmer than I expected," she said.

Ms Groom created the sketches during the Zoom call, then added colour later.

She has been working with RWoB since 2016, following a trip to Calais to offer help to the refugee camps.

"Everyone puts on amazing clothes so it's really fun for me to capture the different patterns, colours and styles," she said.

Niki Groom Sketch of the Cameroonian DanceNiki Groom
The event included music from countries such as Sudan, the Ivory Coast, Somalia, Cameroon and India
Niki Groom Sketch of the South American DanceNiki Groom
Calls have been made for these events to be done on a monthly-basis

Ms Hussein added: "There were mums dancing with their children, and family members and you can see how proud they are of the music and culture."

The festival runs until 21 June.