The concept of desert island discs is a familiar one, but for music-loving refugees from Iran, Congo and Sudan, it takes on a special resonance.

As Stephen Silverwood puts it: “Celebrities might pretend they’re stranded on an island, but these people really are and they can’t go back to the places they’ve come from.”

Founder of community charity Refugee Radio, Silverwood introduced the refugee version of the long-established BBC Radio 4 show as a platform to share favourite music, from Iranian hip-hop to Congolese swede-swede. It feeds into the station’s commitment to helping alleviate the isolation refugees feel.

A charity worker by day and pirate radio broadcaster by night, Silverwood realised the media stories about refugees and asylum seekers were not reflecting the people he was coming across in his daily work.

“We thought we would cut out the middlemen and have these people tell their stories directly,” he explains. “We’ve focused on moving away from thinking about immigration as a political issue – these are just people. They’re not monsters, they’re not necessarily heroes, they’re just ordinary men and women; mothers and daughters and artisans and lawyers.”

The station broadcasts programmes about the day-to-day problems faced by refugees and profiles of those who have found an outlet through music or art.Writer and human rights activist Osama was invited on to read from his work and share his favourite classical flute music from Sudan; Mohammed explained his struggle to survive in the UK when denied access to healthcare, housing, work or benefits.

Little of the station’s output has a political angle. Silverwood describes meeting an Iranian pop star called Amir.

“He wouldn’t be drawnon the fact thatwhat he’s doing is illegal in Iran and he could be arrested for it. He was a typical pop star – he just wanted to talk about the music.”

On Tuesday, the charity will hold a night of African dub and reggae to celebrate national Refugee Week, with live performances from Senegal’s Bakk Lamp Fall and The Cornerstones, with their unique Burundian interpretation of acoustic reggae. DJs on two floors will play reggae, dub and dance music.

“It’s just about having fun,” Silverwood explains. “We’re not interested in preaching to the converted. It’s about bringing people together through music.”

The night will raise funds for the charity’s latest project, the Refugee Radio Orchestra – what Silverwood describes as “a super-group of people who are professional musicians in their own countries, plus local musicians and total amateurs”. Featuring musicians from Baak Lamp Fall and The Cornerstones, amongst others, he hopes the orchestra will demonstrate the charity’s belief in the bonding power of music.

Their progress is currently being filmed for a TV documentary and Silverwood hopes they will play a gig in the next few months. Eventually, he’d like to set up a record label to release an album.

“The music scene in Brighton sometimes doesn’t feel representative of all the people I see in the city. I’d like to see that change."

Starts 9pm, tickets cost £5/£4.

Visit www.refugeeradio.org.uk