The local edition of Refugee Week, the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the creativity, contributions and resilience of people seeking sanctuary, is taking place from June 15 to 21 in several venues across the island.
This year’s edition is built around the international theme of ‘courage’, explored locally through the Maltese word qlubija. While both qlubija and kuraġġ can be translated as courage, qlubija was chosen to reflect a deeper, more embodied understanding of the concept.
“The word evokes a courage that comes from the heart: deep, heartfelt and rooted in compassion. Its Semitic root q-l-b (qalb: heart) resonates with the Latin cor (heart), revealing how Maltese carries within its very structure traces of other languages and histories, formed through centuries of movement, encounter and exchange between people,” the organisers said.
They noted that for refugees around the world, courage is often a daily necessity.
“It is the courage to face unknown journeys, learn new languages, navigate unfamiliar systems and rebuild life in unfamiliar and sometimes challenging places. It is the courage to wake up each morning and step into an uncertain world.”
Reflecting this theme, the 2026 programme features more than 30 events developed in collaboration with artists, organisations, activists and communities, creating opportunities for reflection, exchange and connection around migration, asylum and the lived experience of displacement in Malta.
The programme is organised around four strands – ‘Take Part’, ‘Learn and Discuss’, ‘For Families and Kids’, and ‘Watch and Experience’ − inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to engage through performances, discussions, workshops, shared meals and collective experiences.
At a time when public discourse can be shaped by division and blame, Refugee Week Malta seeks to foster compassion, connection and a deeper understanding of our shared humanity.
“It invites us to draw on courage to welcome, to stand for dignity and justice, and to recognise the humanity we hold in common; moving beyond this as an abstract idea and embracing shared humanity as something lived in our everyday relationships and shared histories,” the organisers said.
“This is an invitation to joy as well as responsibility, calling on everyone, regardless of background, to lead with their heart and find the courage to imagine new possibilities, to dream, to heal and to connect through culture, belonging and collective experience.”
Coordinated locally by Dance Beyond Borders Foundation, Refugee Week Malta is supported by Arts Council Malta and a network of cultural, public and private partners.
This year, the festival is teaming up with the African Media Association Malta as media partner.
The full programme and updates are available at www.refugeeweekmalta.com.
