A VOICE FOR AFGHAN REFUGEES

Afghan Refugees in Malaysia
For more than 40 years, ethnic war, coup and genocide have been going on in Afghanistan. Among them, the most victims were the ordinary people of Afghanistan. Nearly 3,500 refugees from Afghanistan live in Malaysia, and most of them live in bad conditions. The Malaysian government has not signed the Convention on the Protection of Refugees, so refugees do not have the right to work, education, access to health services and other life facilities. The Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise (RCBKS) has been in active community service since its formation in 1992. 

This fund-raising concert is organised together with the Camerata Musicales Orchestra with guest appearance by the Parastoo Theater in aid of Afghan refugees in Malaysia. The details of the concert are as follows:

Date
Saturday, 6 May 2023

Time
8.00 – 10.00pm (Exhibition starts at 6.45pm)

Venue
Help University Hall, Subang 2 Campus, 
No.1, Persiaran Cakerawala, 
40150 Shah Alam, Selangor

Concert Programme
6.45pm: Exhibition and Registration
8pm: Concert Performance
9.30pm: Exhibition

The Performance
This concert will be a fusion showcase of classical masterpieces of Chopin, Kreisler, Tchaikovsky, Piazzolla and the cover songs of 70s-80s British pop-rock icon Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). The ever popular Last Train to London, Mr. Blue Sky, Telephone Line, Roll-over Beethoven will be among the hits that will be performed. Also featuring guest performers from Parastoo Theatre, performing a melancholy but comedic narrative about their native Afghanistan culture.

The Beneficiaries
All net proceeds for the project will go to Afghan refugees in Malaysia. In particular, RCBKS will identify specific beneficiaries in the Afghan community in the areas of Basic Needs, Education, Mental Health and Economic Development such as providing groceries, health care and household items, language courses, student education assistance, mental health community programmes and grants for professional development and viable small business start-ups. The project aims to focus on youth development and women empowerment. Part of the proceeds will also go towards strengthening Parastoo Theater’s sustainability and establishing a Parastoo Learning Centre which will primarily focus on performing arts-based education, mental health and capacity building trainings which will enable refugees to learn skills in order to improve their livelihoods.

Camerata Musicales
Camerata Musicales (Camerata) is the brainchild of pianist, music arranger and conductor Lee Jia Jie (JJ) in 2012. First started as a family piano trio with both his sons on the violin and cello, it grew into a chamber orchestra when friends and their students started joining for some ‘jamming’ sessions. As a keen music arranger, JJ has been rescoring various well known pieces of different genre and style into the ensemble’s set up. Camerata gave its debut public performance in Matic Hall Kuala Lumpur in 2012, raising funds for an underprivileged and handicapped community. It was an outreach project collaborating with several musicians of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Camerata has been actively involved in numerous charity projects ever since. Not confining themselves into classical genre, Camerata ventured into pop and rock music by merging a rock band into the acoustic classical ensemble set up. They have been doing popular cover hit songs of the 70s up until the current decade.

Parastoo Theatre
Parastoo Theatre is a theatre troupe of refugees in Kuala Lumpur which aims to raise awareness on social issues faced by refugees. Founded in 2017 by writer and director Saleh Sepas, Parastoo practices the ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’ (TO), a form of interactive theatre intended to transform lives as spectators become performers who act out solutions to the social problem presented through the play. Their most-performed screenplay to date is “Screaming in Silence”, a play that tells the story of 12-year-old Nazanin who is forced to marry an older man to settle her father’s gambling debt. Before that, in 2017, Parastoo Theatre performed the bitter taste of history twice, narrating the lives of war victims. Parastoo has also held TO workshops for more than 200 refugees and locals in 2017-2020. This method, based on the Augusto Boal method, helps participants gain motivation and self-confidence, and how to find the empowerment strategy. Parastoo has trained more than 20 young refugees in research, writing, and acting in 2019. During the Pandemic, Parastoo implemented two important projects on solving domestic violence and mental health problems for more than 550 refugees and non-refugees from 9 different communities, where the audience received informative and effective solutions. "The Roof that Collapsed" and "And Then Came Spring" are two of the latest productions of Parastoo Theatre. And Then Came Spring, was performed in July 2022 at DPAC for around 1,000 people. The show which was in collaboration with The Instant Cafe Theatre Company, received a great response from Malaysian theatre goers and the public.

The Vibes. 
A Platform for The People
The Vibes is one of Malaysia’s hottest and fastest-growing online news portal. Launched on September 19, 2020, in conjunction with Malaysia Day, The Vibes features breaking news and the latest stories happening inside and outside of Malaysia daily #FromEverySide.
 
The Vibes is a platform for the people that is diverse, unbiased and not one-sided. The team strives to empower its audience to express their views and make informed choices with the access to unfettered information.
 
Vision: The No. 1 Online News Portal in Malaysia!
Mission: To provide accurate, balanced and reliable information that helps Malaysians stay informed and function at the highest levels towards nation-building.
https://www.thevibes.com/

The Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise (RCBKS), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
For the past 30 years, every year, RCBKS renew, support and connect people’s efforts by giving time, relief, hope, love, and inspiration to make a difference to our communities. Our key current and recent projects are outlined below. With the global Rotary theme "Imagine Rotary", the main focus of our club will be, in the area of:

• YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, to continue to transform lives through mentoring youths through our Rotary Education Fund programme in collaboration with HELP University and to work on joint projects with our youth clubs - Interact and Rotaract.
• WOMEN EMPOWERMENT, to work with NGOs to provide skills training for women from B40 families and the Refugee Communities.
• SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, to continue to work with partner Jeffrey Sachs Centre of Sunway University, in creating awareness to reduce our carbon footprint to address climate change and to reduce the use of plastics to preserve the environment.
• BASIC HEALTH, to provide medical check-up at the RCBKS Annual Medical Camp for B40 families and to continue to work with partner Sai Ananda Kidney Dialysis Centre to provide free dialysis service for the urban poor.

“Imagine, a world that deserves our best
… where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.” 

Buy Concert Pass [free seating]
VIP: RM200
Public: RM120

Online purchase: https://www.cloudjoi.com/
No phone sales and over the counter sale. E-tickets only

Age Limit
12 years and above

Attire
Semi-casual. Collarless t-shirts, shorts and slippers are not allowed, and bring along a jacket as it might be chilly in the hall.

Exhibition 
Booths from 6.45pm showcasing Afghan handcrafted items of accessories, bags, decorative items, home décor, traditional clothes, local Afghan food, and paintings, for sale.

Enquiry
Whats app +6012-3380894

Covid-19 Related SOPs
Mask wearing is recommended. Venue reserves the right to deny entry if you are found to be Covid-19 positive or High-Risk status on MySejahtera.  No refund will be made to those who have purchased tickets.