Abstract
Refugees are people who move involuntarily from their country of residence often witnessing disasters, wars and the deaths of immediate family members prior to fleeing. In each of these instances, refugees experience traumatic situations that provoke strong reactions and emotions. This is often exacerbated by difficult refugee processing systems, detention and waiting in refugee camps, all of which make migration patterns and settlement processes for refugees are very different from those of other migrants. The psychological effects of the trauma experienced by refugees tend to be enduring and long-lasting. This paper explores the link between refugee mental health and wellbeing and multicultural arts in the tropics. The contention of the paper is that multicultural arts allows for sensitivity to a person’s identity, heritage and experience and is an important component of healing and well-being. The paper uncovers how multicultural arts enable a dialogue around issues with forced migration, powerlessness, humiliation and anger and promotes social inclusion and belonging. The paper concludes by arguing that multicultural and multidimensional approaches are needed to achieve an integrated approach to the mental health of refugees.
Highlights
The 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (UNHCR Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees 14) states that a refugee is a person who: owing to a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his formal habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it
Australia is one of the countries in which refugees are resettled through the UNHCR’s programs, based on the fact that Australia has ratified the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and has acceded to the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees in 1973
Scholars have suggested that holistic approaches that address all the needs of refugees – physical, mental, spiritual, environmental and social-cultural, incorporating a multiplicity of systems that include community-based health systems as well as other interventions like art, drama, music and other complementary and alternative therapies would be culturally appropriate as well as providing choice to refugees (Papadopoulos et al.; NCTSN; Woodland et al.)
Summary
Refugees are people who move involuntarily from their country of residence often witnessing disasters, wars and the deaths of immediate family members prior to fleeing. In each of these instances, refugees experience traumatic situations that provoke strong reactions and emotions. This is often exacerbated by difficult refugee processing systems, detention and waiting in refugee camps, all of which make migration patterns and settlement processes for refugees are very different from those of other migrants. This paper explores the link between refugee mental health and wellbeing and multicultural arts in the tropics. The paper concludes by arguing that multicultural and multidimensional approaches are needed to achieve an integrated approach to the mental health of refugees
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