CHRISTINA MACGILLIVRAY

STAND-UP FOR MIGRANTS

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CHRISTINA MACGILLIVRAY DIRECTS THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE FIRST EVER STAND-UP SHOW 'STAND-UP FOR MIGRANTS'.

International comedians share stories of migration to a packed house in Switzerland's premier venue Victoria Hall in celebration of International Migrants Day.

Stand-Up for Migrants was produced by the United Nations Human Rights Office in partnership with the government of Switzerland, the City of Geneva and Amnesty International. It was held in celebration of the 70th Declaration of Human Rights and International Migrants Day.

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Stand-Up for Migrants featured Hari Kondabolu, Evelyn Mok, Deborah Frances-White, Noman Hosni, Thomas Wiesel, Charles Nouveau and Bruno Peki. It included a live broadcast recording of the Guilty Feminist, a podcast with 35 million downloads.

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Stand-Up for Migrants was created with the belief that we need shared spaces of laughter and creativity in an era of profound divisiveness in our societies over issues of immigration, xenophobia and human rights. Comedy provides a reflective lens to examine our own societies. We have far more in common than that which divides us.

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The event drew 1500 people. The show was produced in French and English.

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Comedy as a gateway for change

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Comedy is a well-established tool to drive social change on civic issues by:

• Attracting attention and helping people remember information.

• Making complex civic and economic topics accessible.

• Breaking down barriers and social norms in non-threatening ways.

• Opens the door for increased audience engagement and information.

• Providing sharable, conversation-driving content that multiplies message reach.

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Stand-Up for Migrants combines comedy with intelligent commentary on migration, xenophobia and rising nationalism in the world.

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Podcast Episode

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The program was rebroadcast as a podcast on Deborah Frances-White's wildly popular podcast Guilty Feminist. The podcast episode featured Deborah Frances-White in conversation with Hari Kondabolu and his mother Uma Kondabolu about Uma's experience migrating to the United States.

Listen to the podcast episode here.

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The Venue

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Stand-Up for Migrants was held in the historic Victoria Hall in Geneva, Switzerland. The event drew 1500 people.