【A Male Friend Who Spins it Around】
Celebrities are A Male Friend Who Spins it Aroundtaking a public stance to support the #WithRefugees campaign.
On Monday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released a video featuring several actors including Cate Blanchett, Keira Knightley, Kit Harington and Jesse Eisenberg, performing a powerful spoken word poem entitled, "What They Took With Them."
The video, posted on Facebook, aims to call attention to the more than 65 million refugees across the world who were forced to leave their lives behind due to violence.
SEE ALSO: This pink crocheted house was created by refugees as a beautiful symbol of hopeAccording to UNHCR, the poem written by Jenifer Toksvig, which captures the tragic journey endured by displaced refugees, was "inspired by stories and first-hand testimonies from refugees forced to flee their homes and the items they took with them."
Blanchett, the UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, along with actors Keira Knightley, Juliet Stevenson, Peter Capaldi, Stanley Tucci, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kit Harington, Douglas Booth, Jesse Eisenberg and writer Neil Gaiman, gathered together to read the moving piece of poetry, which was recorded and spliced together with compelling images and text.
As explained on the UNHCR website, Blanchett immediately thought Toksvig's words carried such an extreme weight to them. "As soon as I read Jenifer Toksvig’s poem, and even more so after I took part in an early performance of it, I was struck by its immense power," she said. "The rhythm and words of the poem echo the frenzy and chaos and terror of suddenly being forced to leave your home, grabbing what little you can carry with you, and fleeing for safety."
Refugee images and accounts from photographer Brian Sokol's project entitled, "The Most Important Thing," which was made in collaboration with UNHCR, accompany the celebrity voiceovers.
"... As a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, I believe the very least each of us can do is work together to ensure refugees have the basics with which to build back their lives -- an education, somewhere safe to live, the ability to work," Blanchett added.
The film was made to inspire viewers to sign the #WithRefugees petition, which will help ensure refugees are given basic essentials needed to rebuild their lives, such as education, shelter and employment. The petition is set to be delivered to UN headquarters ahead of the UN General Assembly high-level summit on Sept.19.
As of Monday afternoon, 937,433 people have signed the petition.
Topics Facebook Social Good United Nations
Search
Categories
Latest Posts
Best robot vacuum deal: Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop at record
2025-06-26 04:31Jordan Peele tweeted the perfect caption for his Oscar photo
2025-06-26 03:18How to deal with your family sponging off your Netflix account
2025-06-26 03:17Whale Vomit Episode 5: Startup Monarchy
2025-06-26 03:00Popular Posts
Fyre Festival and Trump’s Language
2025-06-26 04:55'West Side Story' actress Rita Moreno re
2025-06-26 04:12Alicia Vikander on Time's Up and Frances McDormand's Oscar speech
2025-06-26 04:05Watch 'The Edge of Seventeen' to cure your 'Lady Bird' blues
2025-06-26 03:58Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2025
2025-06-26 03:51Featured Posts
Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
2025-06-26 05:29The best 3 apps for tracking your crypto portfolio
2025-06-26 04:50Jordan Peele's 'Get Out' just scored its first Academy Award
2025-06-26 04:08Philips now allows customers to 3D print replacement parts
2025-06-26 03:22Popular Articles
Waymo data shows humans are terrible drivers compared to AI
2025-06-26 05:33Here's who votes for the Oscars winners and how
2025-06-26 05:15'The Shape of Water' wins Best Picture at 2018 Oscars
2025-06-26 04:52The State of PC Gaming in 2016
2025-06-26 03:25Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.
Comments (572)
Evergreen Information Network
Q&A with tendercare founder and CEO Shauna Sweeney
2025-06-26 04:55Childhood Fun Information Network
Waves from weekend nor'easter cause damage in Caribbean
2025-06-26 04:45Co-creation Information Network
Google's Nest to pull smart home products from Amazon
2025-06-26 02:56Miracle Information Network
Apple may release a cheaper MacBook Air this year
2025-06-26 02:54Unobstructed Information Network
Best headphones deal: Save up to 51% on Beats at Amazon
2025-06-26 02:53