At Risk Academic Refugees

In 2016, the RSE Young Academy of Scotland (YAS) launched its At-Risk Academic Refugees (ARAR) initiative to recognise talented young professionals from Scotland’s refugee and displaced migrant communities. The first of its kind in the world, this initiative provided encouragement to outstanding members of the refugee and displaced migrant communities to apply to YAS and provided them with support with their applications, and YAS is proud to include many ARAR members in its cohort.

View the exhibition

RSE - At-Risk Academic Refugees exhibition
Portraits by I.D Campbell

About the exhibition

In 2019, the RSE commissioned Glasgow-based portrait painter I.D Campbell to produce a series of portraits of our ARAR members, as a way of celebrating their involvement with the RSE and to raise their profiles. Funded by the Auber Bequest Fund, the exhibition has been seen by more than 2000 people since going on display in Summer 2020 at the RSE’s building on George Street, Edinburgh.

About the artist

I.D. Campbell

I.D. Campbell is a Glasgow-based portrait painter and an Affiliate Artist of the UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts. Between 2016 and 2019, he was an artist-in-residence at St George’s Tron Church of Scotland in Glasgow. Iain is best known for his painting, Our Last Supper, featuring thirteen guests of Glasgow City Mission. He has also painted for Christian Aid, The World Council of Churches and Tearfund. In 2020 he worked in partnership with Remembering Srebrenica (Scotland) on paintings for the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica. His work focuses on bold portraits, exploring life in the face of adversity.

Meet the At-risk academic refugees members

  • Debora Kayembe

    Debora Kayembe

    How did you end up in Scotland? I came to Scotland from the Democratic Republic of Congo in search of freedom and dignity. Being qualified as both a lawyer and a linguist, I needed to find the right place to develop my skills and talents. I knew the door was open professionally when the Law […]

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  • Dr Alaa Hamdon

    Dr Alaa Hamdon

    How did you end up in Scotland? I came to Scotland after leaving my country because ISIS took over my city, Mosul City in Iraq. I had to flee and leave everything behind me and went to Turkey. I stayed in Turkey for a few months, in terrible conditions, with little money and support. The […]

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  • Dr Shawki Al-Dubaee

    Dr Shawki Al-Dubaee

    How did you end up in Scotland? Some things in your memories cannot easily be erased, for instance, being forced to flee, breathing in fear and losing part of your family or your friends. Scotland opens its doors for refugees from different countries and the Scottish people and its communities furnish them with a warm […]

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  • Mohamed Zaher Al Bakour

    Mohamed Zaher Al Bakour

    How did you end up in Scotland? To be honest, I still don’t believe I am in Scotland. In June 2016, I was in Aleppo, Syria working in both the academic and pharmaceutical industries where there was no hope for anything to get any better at all. Any place could have been targeted! Leaving Syria […]

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  • Pinar Aksu

    Pinar Aksu

    How did you end up in Scotland? I have been in Scotland since I was a child. My parents moved here seeking asylum. From a very young age I had no idea what that meant until one day my family was detained. After support and campaigning from my teachers and the community, we received our […]

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