A Free Association Group Discussion
In partnership with HOME, a group discussion, held on 9th of October 2018, discussed the questions: what does ‘home’ mean to us? What emotional connection do we have to the word and the concept? Is a ‘citizen of the world’ a citizen of everywhere, anywhere or, actually, of nowhere? How does our relationship with home change when our home moves, or when we move away from home? Can we take home with us? Can a homeless person feel more ‘at home’ in a sleeping bag in a supermarket car park than a rich man sleeping in a mansion? The event was chaired by Dr Mustafa Alachkar.
Some participants felt they could take their home with them wherever they went, while others felt a sense of nostalgia for a home that was never there. Some felt liberated that they do not have the need to chase after a 'home'. They event was eye-opening-- so much food for thought.
Dr Mustafa Alachkar
Mustafa is one of the coordinators of Celebrating Syria Festival. He grew up in Aleppo, Syria and graduated in medicine in 2003 before coming to the UK in 2005 to specialise in psychiatry and psychotherapy. For his master’s research, he looked at resilience among Syrian refugees in the UK.