A teenage poet from Nigeria, a reggae singer from Sierra Leona and a Colombian dancer were among those competing in Sicily this weekend in a UN-backed talent show aimed at reshaping the narrative around migrants.

Refugees Got Talent, the first event of its kind to be held on an international level, featured dozens of people seeking shelter from war-torn countries, as well as victims of human trafficking. This weekend, 13 finalists showed off their skills in Catania, performing songs, music, art and theatre in front of a judging panel that included the British actor Douglas Booth.

“This is more than just a talent show,” said Marco Rotunno, a press officer in Sicily for the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), which supported the event alongside 20 other aid groups. “The things we need to thrive in life – confidence, pride, friends, community and hope – are all experienced by the contestants and all those involved.”

The winner was an 18-year-old Nigerian poet, Hannah Imordi, who read a work titled The Journey, dedicated to those who doubt refugees have justified reasons for leaving their home countries.

Hannah Imordi, a poet, was named winner of the talent contest. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/UNHCR

“I am so happy”, she said. “Making it to the finals was not as important to me as having the opportunity to state in poetry that millions of people are forced to leave their countries because of war, poverty or religion. We need to help these people attain their dreams or simply reach a happy ending in their lives. We need to embrace them, not cast them away. Before we change the world, we should begin to change ourselves.”

Her poem included the lines: “In this different city, I look for protection. In this different world, I look for acceptance. In this different culture, am trying to adapt to, I seek help. What does tomorrow holds for me?”

Among the finalists were a 23-year-old reggae singer from Sierra Leone, whose stage name is Mr 705 and who arrived in Sicily from Libya, and a 37-year-old professional dancer from Colombia, Darwin Medrano, who is one of Colombia’s 8 million displaced people.

“Seeing the talent here is a powerful reminder that refugees are people like all others – unique and talented with a lot to offer the world,” Rotunno said.

All of the performing artists have lived through traumatic experiences. Many of them arrived in Italy as minors via Libya, where they suffered torture, abuse and violence. Others are victims of human trafficking, lured into leaving their homes with the promise of dignified work and then forced into prostitution or slavery.

“All of them have experienced terrible trauma,” said Rotunno. “But we wanted to avoid dwelling on that for this event. This is precisely the point of this contest: to show that refugees, despite their dramatic stories, are men and women like the rest of us, each one with a talent that can enrich our world.

“Art and music helps all humans express themselves all over the world. For refugees – who have lost so much – it’s no different. The opportunity to sing, dance and perform can be a welcome escape from reality and help confront difficult emotions.”

Francesco Patanè, the event’s artistic director, said: “We wanted to show that migrants and refugees are skilled and talented people who are contributing to make our countries a better place as much as the Italians did or still do when they moved to other countries.”

Darwin Medrano from Colombia performs in Catania. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/UNHCR

From dance parties to food festivals and urban hikes, millions of people around the world have taken part in events over the weekend to celebrate Thursday’s World Refugee Day, at a time when record numbers of children, women and men have been uprooted by war and persecution.

This week, the UNHCR published its annual global trends report, which showed the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide had risen to more than 70 million by the end of 2018, the highest in the organisation’s history.

In a video address, the UN refugee chief, Filippo Grandi, said restrictions introduced by some countries had limited access to asylum and hindered efforts to rescue drowning refugees.

The Italian and Maltese governments have closed seaports to NGO rescue vessels.

According to data from the UN and the International Organization for Migration, about 3,200 people have reached Italy and Malta from north Africa since the beginning of 2019, and almost 350 have died en route.