Watch: Songs Without Borders bringing people together like a 'family' in Derry

Refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, international students and Derry locals are welcome to join in this rare meeting of cultures.

Songs Without Borders invites all to participate in their singing group, even those who believe they can't sing. Singing in not just in English but other languages and cultures, using the shared language of music to create friends, improve English and learn more about the world and people around us.

Leading the workshop is professional singer and natural voice facilitator Maeve Leahy. We got the chance to talk to Maeve about her workshop.

“There's no borders for singing,” said Maeve, adding that “anybody can come, any background, any age.”

Maeve said that her workshop goals are to “bring people together, to have fun, socialise, integrate, learn about each other's cultures and to make singing accessible to everybody.”

Having people of different cultures and backgrounds in the same room can make it difficult for Maeve to choose what songs she wishes to teach. Explaining how she decides, she said: “That's the trick to it, choosing songs that are not too wordy, songs that are from a range of different backgrounds, so that we are all on the same footing.

She continued: “I don’t choose all the songs, because sometimes people bring the songs they want to share, which is lovely and what it's all about.”

The group has a favourite song titled, ‘This is Home’ by Sophia Efthimiou. The group gravitates to this song because “it seems to speak to everybody, about coming home to ourselves, getting away from fear,” said Maeve.

One participant shared a beautiful song from his home country. M.D Shamin Hasan delivered the song with passion and was celebrated by the group.

Shamin came to Derry as a student for his PhD in Drama/Theatre. Telling us why he likes to come to Songs Without Borders he said: “It’s a great place to meet people, a fun place, we can share our ideas. I love songs!”

Shamin is from Bangladesh and has been in Derry for a year. He has enjoyed his time here, and “particularly the people”.

Songs Without Borders comes from Sole Purpose Productions. Artistic Director Patricia Byrne explained the goals for the workshop saying: “It’s a way of bringing different people together, different cultures,” while also being a safe place for people who have just come to Derry, “to integrate, to mix and enjoy singing together.”

Patricia said that the space can be comforting to people, as they may hear a song in their language. “We’ve had songs in Irish, Arabic, a song from Cape Verde, from Bangladesh, the Philippines.”

Lastly, we spoke with Sallam Abdulelah, a Journalist from Yemen. He shared his love for Songs Without Borders, praising it for teaching him about other cultures, saying that the group felt like a “family.”

If you or someone you know is interested in Songs without Borders you can find them on Carlisle Road Methodist Church Hall on Thursdays from 11am-1pm. For more information about Songs Without Borders contact [email protected]

*Please note, Songs Without Borders will be taking a break on July 18 and 25 and will be back singing from Thurday, August 1.