RCMC's Awareness Musical: 'From Home to Homes: Celebration of Resilience'

Cox’s Bazar, 10 October 2024: The Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre (RCMC) celebrated World Mental Health Day 2024 at Camp 18 and Camp 20 Extension. The RCMC cultural team performed the musical awareness drama, ‘From Home to Homes: Celebration of Resilience.’ exploring the journey of two Rohingya beneficiaries who reminisce about their homeland, Arakan, and the sense of loss they feel after living in a refugee camp for more than seven years. As they express their sorrow, various supportive initiatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) step in to offer solace and cultural preservation.

World Refugee Week honours and celebrates refugees from around the globe. In recognition of this, the RCMC took the initiative to honour and celebrate the resilience and courage of the Rohingya refugees. This year’s theme was ‘Our Home,’ a fitting choice, as nearly one million Rohingyas were forced to leave their homes more than seven years ago, making Cox’s Bazar the largest refugee camp in the world. In connection with the theme, ‘Our Home,’ and the concept of resilience, the RCMC identified five significant ‘homes’: MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support), RCMC (Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre), the Rohingya Cultural Box, Mobile RCMC, and the RCMC World Tour. These initiatives, with the ongoing support of the Rohingya community, regularly contribute to the mental health and psychosocial well-being of the Rohingya people. Moreover, they help raise global awareness about the plight of the Rohingya and share their powerful narrative of resilience.

Through this event, we reached 95 Rohingya participants, including 40 women and 55 men. Participants provided heartfelt feedback, highlighting the emotional and cultural significance of the session. Sawyed Noor expressed his gratitude by saying: 

While many organisations focus on different areas, RCMC stands out for its dedication to preserving Rohingya cultural heritage, which he sees as vital given the community's challenges.