On Friday 16th May, simultaneous walks began in Leicester, Nottingham and Loughborough involving recent arrivals and asylum seekers to the East Midlands, walking with co-walkers including local key workers, council officials and public servants. Each of the 7 walks involved asylum seekers using a map of a walk that they used to make in a place they called home to navigate the city in which they now find themselves. Tacking between the near and far, past and present, the walks brought issues of belonging and identity into sharp relief. The walks will act as the springboard for future arts initiatives as well as providing a basis for writing on the dislocation of new arrivals.
We wish to thank all walkers and co-walkers, as well as the regional arts organisations who facilitated the walks, and Misha Myers for co-ordinating the post-walk discussions.
