The Laff-Uccino at Union Chapel, Highbury, will mark Refugee Week

A SOCIAL enterprise coffee shop is planning a comedy night to support refugees telling jokes alongside some familiar faces.

HAVEN Coffee will be hosting the Laff-Uccino show at the Union Chapel in Upper Street, Highbury, to mark Refugee Week from June 17. It will feature Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Rosie Jones, Rhys James and Nish Kumar.

But making their comedy debuts alongside them will also be five asylum seekers who have participated in HAVEN Coffee’s comedy workshops. The workshops are designed to boost the confidence of the participating refugee and asylum seekers, teaching them how to perform on stage.

As part of their mission, the social enterprise aim to break down false narratives surrounding refugees through the aid of performing and visual arts.

Usman Khalid, the founder of HAVEN Coffee, told the Tribune that he believes “art is a language that everyone understands. It can really bring people and communities together. That’s why I studied art and why one of our projects is comedy-based.”

“This will be our eighth Laff-Uccino – giving people a chance to perform on stage alongside famous comedians.”

Mr Khalid said that “the audiences have been very supportive in the past, as have the comedians who have supported the cause.”

He said Mr Kumar “is very supportive, he is a gentleman. Whichever comedian agrees to do these gigs with us it’s because they buy into what we do – they buy into helping refugees.”

As a refugee himself, Mr Khalid founded HAVEN Coffee in 2019, combining his love for coffee with his ambition to support other asylum seekers and refugees.

He said that he aims to “provide training to refugees and asylum seekers so that they can be integrated into society through the job market”.

Laff-Uccino is just one of many projects organised by the social enterprise. Doors for the event on June 19 will open at 7.30pm and tickets can be purchased through HAVEN Coffee’s website.