Go back to where you came from

Today is World Refugee Day and if you’re in the land down under, I’d encourage you to switch your TV on to SBS One at 8:30pm because a pretty extraordinary TV-show is about to air.

Over the next three nights, SBS will be screening the documentary series Go Back to Where You Came From. The series will follow six ordinary Australians as they take part in a 25 day journey that will send them to some of the most dangerous and remote parts of the world.  Essentially, they will be retracing the path taken by many refugees to safety – only in reverse.

Throughout the journey the participants will be deprived of their wallets, passports, phones and of course any of their ‘creature comforts’. They will experience what it is like to travel to a foreign land on an unsafe boat and also a frightening mid-ocean rescue.

Then there’s the confronting of African refugee camps, immigration raids and slums.

The participants

The series will no doubt be compelling viewing and I hope – along with many others – that it will raise awareness and understanding for the plight of refugees throughout Australia and the World.

It won’t be pretty but it will provoke discussion and really, that’s a huge step towards eliminating ignorance.

So switch it on tonight, and get informed.

*If you'd like more information on refugees in Australia check out the SBS World News site and it's special Refugee week coverage.
**Images courtesy of SBS.
***Edited - The show starts on Tuesday 21st June