The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have invited young South African writers to enter a writing competition telling a refugee/migrant story.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have invited young South African writers to enter a writing competition telling a refugee/migrant story.
Titled “Shared Wishes, Shared Dreams”, the contest aims to promote the positive contributions of refugees and migrants in South African communities.
The contest was created to mark this year's World Refugee Day on Friday 20 June.
Participants between the ages of 16 and 30 are invited to write a short story (maximum 500 words) either fiction or non-fiction, that will address some of the negative perceptions about refugees/migrants who are often seen as a problem to be solved rather than as potentially exceptional people who can be entrepreneurs and innovators.
Submissions close 30 May 2014.
“This year we’re putting the limelight not on where refugees come from, but on what they bring, as their positive contributions are often overlooked,” said Tina Ghelli, UNHCR’s spokesperson for Southern Africa.
Submissions should be original and thought-provoking in order to ignite dialogue on the positive contributions of migrants in South Africa.
One contest winner and two runners-up will be selected and announced on World Refugee Day. The competition winner will receive an Apple MacBook Air while the first and second runners-up will receive a Lenovo laptop and a Sony digital camera respectively.
Interested contestants can visit iamamigrant.co.za for rules and regulations. To submit your work, fill out the “Shared Wishes, Shared Dreams” entry form and email it with your submissions to nmahlangu@iom.int.
