Unity in Diversity is a community drop-in for asylum seekers and refugees hosted by the United Reformed Church in Waunwen, Swansea. Here members from various backgrounds across the world meet and form a sense of community, togetherness, food and are able to have English classes as well as other training activities. Members of the group are from diverse parts of the globe, including Sudan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey, Albania, Cameroon, amongst many others.
Natalie Paisey and Phil Williams have worked with this diverse group, whose members are often temporary and transient, to introduce a cultural exchange, engaging in a process of sharing singing dancing performance and conversation to help build relationships and understanding â often where language forms a barrier.
Members sing, dance, perform â sometimes in spontaneous collaboration, and through taking part and being together in activities, they are able to learn about one another and their respective cultures â sharing art, music, dance and stories.
As part of the process, Natalie has worked passionately to build bonds with the participants, to find out about their lives, their family, their journey and their heritage as they in turn learn about Swansea, Wales and the culture they now find around them.
Performances 23rd May
This is the short film that was made by Natalie Paisey and Phil Williams, who spent several months working with the participants at Swansea’s community drop-in ‘Unity in Diversity’. This film was screened alongside their performances on the 23rd of May:
This was accompanied shortly afterward with a special performance by participants from the drop in community, who performed together as a group:
Musical Routes 