Kirabo Robert fled the civil war in Sudan when he was just five years old. He lost his whole family in the refugee camps of Uganda, but he never gave up.

Now he is fighting for survival with a dream for a better future for his own children. If they can build a small home on a piece of land, then they can get an education in safety and dignity.

Help us break the cycle of poverty and displacement. Give this family a future. Support the crowdfunder >>

Empower Our Hope: A Refugee Family’s Cry For Shelter, Food, And Dignity | GoGetFunding

The post Robert: A Refugee Family’s Cry for Shelter, Food, & Dignity appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Why should you become a foster carer? Elaine and Clare talk about their experiences of fostering UASC and the supported lodging scheme. There are many rewards to fostering, and the city urgently needs new homes for children and young people.

Find out more from the Brighton and Hove council website >>

View upcoming events for people interested in fostering >>

The post Brighton: fostering Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Albania is the subject of a moral panic over crime and trafficking. But what is really happening in the country and what does it mean for the people affected?

In this programme we investigate the relationship of Albanian ethnicity and history to modern issues of immigration, asylum, human trafficking, gangs and the struggle for identity.

Featuring Stephanie Schwander-Sievers, Professor of Applied Anthropology at Bournemouth University, author of a number of works on Albania.

https://staffprofiles.bournemouth.ac.uk/display/sssievers

The post Albania: criminality and culture appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Basma Kamel is an activist against FGM and child marriage. She is a refugee from Egypt currently living and studying in the UK. In this interview she talks about her experience as a survivor of FGM and about what we can all do to help stop this harmful practice.

The World Health Organisation states that more than 200 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) in 30 countries. FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and 15. It is a non-medical operation with no health benefits. It is a violation of the human rights of girls and women, and 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of FGM right now.

Basma is involved with a number of projects including Forward UK, African Union, End FGM European Network and more. Please listen to the interview and check out these links to find out more.

The post Basma: End FGM appeared first on Refugee Radio.

“When Ahmad’s life comes under threat by the Taliban in Afghanistan, he leaves his family behind for survival, without saying good bye, and ends up in Europe’s worst Refugee Detention Camp, Moria.” So begins Ahmad’s odyssey, a journey through the international refugee crisis that he chose to record, using his skills as a film-maker and his personal struggle as the focus of a new documentary, Citizen of Moria.

Moria is a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. Originally intended for 3,000 people, it soon found itself home to more than 20,000. Moria is a stark symbol of Europe’s failure to respond to the scale of the crisis and of the humanitarian consequences of war in an overpopulated world.

In this interview, we talk to Ahmad about life in the camp and the making of the film, and we talk to the director Jawad Mir, who co-produced the film with Ahmad. Please visit the film’s official website to find out more and for news of upcoming screenings: https://citizenofmoriafilm.com/

The post Ahmad: Citizen of Moria appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Alvina Chibhamu was badly failed by maternity services and by the Home Office when she found herself having to claim asylum while pregnant.

In this programme, Alvina speaks about her experiences and we hear from Yusuf Ciftci about a new Doctors of the World report highlighting the scandal of failures in maternity care for asylum seekers.

Alvina Chibhamu is a human rights activist and podcaster from Zimbabwe. She is the Executive Secretary of the UK Chapter of Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe and is a board member of the Scottish Refugee Council. Alvina also volunteers as a doula with Amma Birth Companions.

Yusuf Ciftci is the Policy and Advocacy Manager – Participation Lead for Doctors of the World UK, part of the Médecins du Monde network. He is a refugee and is the founder of Experts by Experience Employment Initiative which helps organisations who want to employ refugees.

This podcast was recorded by Christianne Silverwood in 2022.

Download the full report here: “They don’t count us as anything” by Doctors of the World>>

The post Alvina: “Homeless, pregnant and alone.” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Yusuf and Mjed are two refugee entrepreneurs who are kickstarting their exciting new social enterprises. In this programme we find out all about their plans and discover the capabilities and untapped potential of refugees in the UK.

“We think this message is crucial, to turn mainstream audiences away from victimising refugees and towards the truth,” says Fred Kastner of TERN, “that refugees can very much create the best solutions for refugees and asylum seekers (and other communities), if they get fair representation and access to resources”

Ideas into Action is a programme that supports people from a refugee background who live in the UK to develop their own social enterprises and non-profits. It provides specialist support including workshops, professional coaching, business, marketing and fundraising information and skills training, as well as public-facing events. It is being delivered by TERN and Result CIC in a new partnership with Social Enterprise UK.

Find out more>> Linktree

The post TERN: Refugee Enterprise appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Syrian-born architect and artist, Mohamad Hafez, takes us on a walk through the stree-tscenes of his miniature dioramas that transport the eye back to an imagined Damascus, before and after the Syrian war. We explore the visual conversation with homesickness and exile in a discussion of his work.

Mohamad Hafez’s new exhibition, “Journeys from an Absent Present to a Lost Past”, is on show now at the Fabrica gallery as part of the Brighton arts festival (Wednesday-Sunday 12-6pm every day until 29th May 2022).

You can find more images of the work and previous exhibitions at the official website for Mohamad Hafez.

The post Mohamad Hafez: “A safe haven for the soul” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Marwa Al-Sabouni is an architect and writer from Homs, Syria. In this interview she talks about the problems in Syria before the war and the challenge of rebuilding.

Building for Hope and The Battle for Home, by Marwa Al-Sabouni, are available now from Thames and Hudson.

This interview was recorded by Anna and Steve (with support from Rami) for Refugee Radio as official media partners of Brighton Festival 2022. Marwa is appearing in conversation on the 14th May. Find out more >>

The post Marwa: “the battle for home” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

This programme is dedicated to the memory of Angelina, the beloved sister of our friend, Alex Ntung. Angelina was murdered by the DRC army in 2021, a victim of the genocide against the Banyamulenge.

The Banyamulenge villages are burnt, the people are massacred and the survivors are driven into refugee camps which are then subject to attack, all under the nose of the UN. Why is this happening and what can be done to prevent their extermination?

Featuring:

• Adele Kibasumba, the president of the Mahoro Peace Association;
• Amber Maze, the co founder of the Crane Center for Mass Atrocity Prevention;
• Dr Gregory Stanton, former Research Professor in Genocide Studies and Prevention at the George Mason University and the founder of Genocide Watch;
• Thomas Shacklock, the Deputy Manager of Genocide Watch

Please note that this programme contains information about events that are inherently disturbing. While we have taken care to be as accurate as possible, some details of the lynching of Major Kaminzobe are still under investigation.

Photo (c) Amjambo Africa.

Mahoro Peace Association (MPA) is a community organisation which promotes development of its members living in the US and supports peacebuilding, victims of armed conflits and displaced people in Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Genocide Watch exists to predict, prevent, stop, and punish genocide and other forms of mass murder. Their purpose is to build an international movement to prevent and stop genocide. Genocide Watch is the coordinating organization of The Alliance Against Genocide (AAG), an international coalition of organizations. The AAG aims to educate the general public and policymakers about the causes, processes, and warning signs of genocide; to create the institutions and political will to prevent and stop genocide; and to bring perpetrators of genocide to justice.

The Crane Center for Mass Atrocity Prevention seeks to foster sustainable peace and prevent mass violence around the world through practical research, educator empowerment, and civic literacy.

The post Banyamulenge: The Slow Genocide appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Fuad is a refugee from Palestine who found family and friendship at Nam Yang Martial Arts Club in Brighton. In this programme we talk to Fuad about his experiences and we speak to Sam Byford-Winter, the manager and senior instructor at Nam Yang. Find out what’s so special about their club and why they have just been awarded the first ever Martial Arts Club of Sanctuary for their work with refugees and asylum seekers.

The post Fuad and Sam: Nam Yang Martial Arts appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Senait Mesfin Piccigallo talks to Refugee Radio about her new book “You’re in America – Now What?” a guide for refugees and migrants to successfully settle into their new lives in their new homes. We discuss the 7 key Skillsets to Integrate with Ease and Joy, as outlined in the book, and talk about Senait’s own journey from Eritrea to California.

You can follow Senait on Instagram and Facebook

You’re in America, Now What? Available now from Waterstones and other online stores.

The post Senait: “How to be a refugee” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Steve and Ayah talk to David Miliband about the International Rescue Committee and their work with refugees around the world.

The post International Rescue: David Miliband appeared first on Refugee Radio.

An in-depth interview with Kate Jessop, senior immigration lawyer from Brighton Housing Trust, recorded as part of the Castaway Heritage project by Ayah and Steve.

“I’ve been practising here since 2001, but I’ve actually been working in asylum and immigration law since the last century, since 1987, so for a long time. And there have been numerous changes. A few for the better, but mostly for the worse…”

The post Kate: the human rights lawyer appeared first on Refugee Radio.

What do you do when your government is making asylum seekers homeless on purpose as a way to punish them? What do you do with a “Hostile Environment”? According to Jacob Berkson, you open your heart and take action. In this interview, Saleh and Steve talk to Jacob to discover the history of the crowdfunded housing charity, Thousand 4 1000, and their novel solution to the hostile environment policies.

The post Jacob: Thousand 4 1000 appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Live recording of a public panel debate hosted by Refugee Radio and Hear Alkebulan at the Old Courthouse in Brighton

The post iRefugee: “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Takeaway Heritage documented 35 stories which reveal the hidden history of restaurants, cafes and takeaways run by migrants in Brighton and Hove. It is about the life stories of the workers, the owners and the customers and what these stories can tell us about migration and integration in the UK today. You can read all the stories in the book.

“In this country when boy or girl turn eighteen, they have right to leave the family and go wherever they like. In our country they don’t go anywhere until they get married, so they stay with the family. They sit at the same table and they’re always a group. You get used to it. And in this country, for example, when I cook I phone my friend, I invite my friend, I say come around I cook something, let’s having it together and have a laugh and joke and tea after. And yeah. How it works.” – Awat.

The post Takeaway Heritage: MacDoner appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Our Takeaway Heritage series continues with a feature on Kambis, a Lebanese restaurant and takeaway on the Brighton and Hove border. We talk to a chef, a manager and a waiter to find out more about the culture behind the counter.

Takeaway Heritage documented 35 stories which reveal the hidden history of restaurants, cafes and takeaways run by migrants in Brighton and Hove. It is about the life stories of the workers, the owners and the customers and what these stories can tell us about migration and integration in the UK today. You can read all the stories in the book.

“I am qualified as a dental technician. I want always to get work. Especially something to do with art, as I am musician. Making tooth was kind of art for me, carving or using all different types of wax or metal alloys, it was interesting and enjoyable. I worked for a few years in Syria. Finding a job in that field was very hard for me as I had to have an English qualification which I went for a year nearly.” -Haval-

The issue of non-transferrable qualifications is a huge barrier to refugee integration. Under UK laws, many professional degrees from overseas universities are not deemed to be equivalent to British universities, even though many of those universities were established in colonial times and adopted the British educational system. 

The post Takeaway Heritage: Kambis appeared first on Refugee Radio.

The Takeaway Heritage series talks to Theo from Nick Cave’s favourite Greek restaurant, Archipelagos.

Takeaway Heritage documented 35 stories which reveal the hidden history of restaurants, cafes and takeaways run by migrants in Brighton and Hove. It is about the life stories of the workers, the owners and the customers and what these stories can tell us about migration and integration in the UK today. You can read all the stories in the book.

“I tell you something: I married thirty years with a British woman so what I done is I decided to come over here to follow my wife because she is from England. I sold my last business in Greece and I came here to be closer to my children. That’s the reason I came to UK.” – Theo

Some customers ask Theo about the recipes to find out if they can cook them at home. Other customers ask Theo about holidaying in Greece. Increasingly, people are also asking about Greece’s financial problems, as well as the refugee crisis and the impact it is having on the beleaguered country. Theo finds the customers well-informed about Greece and about the issues it faces. He says that he does not find himself struggling with stereotyping, as so many British people have travelled to Greece and have a decent knowledge of the Mediterranean in general.

The post Takeaway Heritage: Archipelagos appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Continuing our Takeaway Heritage series, we talk to Ali and Esmeray who arrived in the UK as refugees from Turkey and have now set up their first cafe.

Takeaway Heritage documented 35 stories which reveal the hidden history of restaurants, cafes and takeaways run by migrants in Brighton and Hove. It is about the life stories of the workers, the owners and the customers and what these stories can tell us about migration and integration in the UK today. You can read all the stories in the book.

Ali and Esmeray came to the UK as refugees and at first they were told by the Home Office that they were allowed to stay. They started to build a new life for themselves but suddenly out of nowhere the Home Office told them there had been a mistake and they were imprisoned in an immigration detention centre. Now things are more settled,  they run a cafe, sharing Mediterranean heritage and even swap Christmas cards with some customers in Brighton who have became like family.

The post Takeaway Heritage: Waves appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Kep left Turkey when he was eighteen. He came to the UK to study English so that he could help run his father’s business importing and exporting textiles in Istanbul. The plan was to stay for just two months but somehow Kep found himself settling here permanently. “Life you never know, is full of surprises,” he told us. “It was supposed to be two months but it’s been over twenty years now and I’m still here!”

The post Takeaway Heritage: Ephesus appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Refugee Radio presents An evening of poetry and music on the theme of human rights to celebrate the publication of “In Protest: 150 Poems for Human Rights”. With leading Peruvian poet and musician Sofia Buchuk and the UK poetry slam champion, Keith Jarrett. Also featuring the poets Alia’ Afif Kawalit and Stephanie Turner. Live Iranian music from local master, Mr Shapouri. Recorded at the Red Roaster Coffee House in April 2014.

In Protest book launch

Poets from around the world explore themes of human rights and social justice in a book from the Human Rights Consortium, Institute of English Studies & the Keats House Poets. Featuring Refugee Radio’s own Osama Ahmadani.

The post Refugee Poetry: In Protest appeared first on Refugee Radio.

A recording of a talk we gave at the local medical school about refugee mental health in 2013.

The post Resilience: Matias appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Refugee Radio presents a programme of short plays based on true life stories of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Created by the refugee and asylum seeker volunteers on our Resilience Panel project in 2013. This recording opens with a personal testimony from one of the volunteers.

The post Resilience: PTSD appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Ugandan poet, Jade Amoli-Jackson talks to Refugee Radio about her forthcoming book, Moving a Country, her life in Uganda and her work as a volunteer in the UK

The post Refugee Poetry: Jade appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Refugee Radio Live at the Red Roaster Coffee House in Brighton, 2013 with the Ugandan poet, Jade Amoli-Jackson, Sudanese poets Osama Ahmadani and Al-Saddiq Al-Radio. With Kurdish folk music from Zewa and Heval. 

The post Refugee Poetry: Live appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Preview featuring the Ugandan poet, Jade Amoli-Jackson, Sudanese poet Osama Ahmadani, Kate Adams and Kurdish folk music from Zewa and Heval.

The post Refugee Poetry: Preview appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Afghan Voice Radio’s reporter, Ariadne, talks to photojournalist, Guy Smallman, about his work with refugees in Afghanistan.

The image above is (C) Guy Smallman. See his website for more >>

The post Afghan Voice Radio: Guy Smallman appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Refugee poetry from Ugandan writer Jade Amoli Jackson and Kurdish Iraqi journalist in exile Aso Mohammed including his incredibly heartbreaking poems “Letter from a Dead Mother” and “Waiting”. With Ethiopian music from Haymanot Tesfa (pictured).

Recorded live at the Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden, London, 2012.

The post Refugee Poetry: Migrant Polyphony Unmuted appeared first on Refugee Radio.

The writer and activist, Kate Adams, reads from her new book inspired by her experiences as a volunteer visitor with refugees and asylum seekers

The post The Cheering Rain appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Panel discussion with Dr Delores Martinez, SOAS, following a screening of Rossella Schillaci‘s prizewinning documentary about refugee squatters in Turin, Italy.

The post Other Europe appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Rwandan artist, Patrice Shema and Dan Godshaw of rYcio talk about their new exhibition featuring audio recordings and paintings tackling the genocide of 1994.

The post Keeping Memories: Rwanda appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Interview and readings from Ali Abolrezaei, banned from teaching and public speaking in Iran because of his writing, and Abol Froushan, one of the most important thinkers in post-exile literature.

Ali Abdolrezaei 

Biography:

Ali Abdolrezaei’s poetry shows that the contemporary art of Iran has been hugely influenced by the traumatic historic events of the last three decades and that these events have affected millions of Iranians in one way or another. Abdolrezaei is young and represents the aesthetics and voice of a new, multi-faceted generation of Iranians and their cultural chasm with the past in the face of a repressive political regime. Abdolrezaei gained reputation as a poet, speaking in the voice of his time, in the early 1990s and received wide critical attention. His poetry tackles difficult themes with a mastery of craft. Ali Abdolrezaei’s poems are translated into many languages such as English , French ,German , Spanish , Dutch ,Swedish ,Finnish ,Turkish, Portuguese ,Urdu , Croatian and Arabic.

Ali Abdolrezaei was born on 10 April 1969 in Northern Iran. He completed his primary and secondary education in his city of birth and after receiving his diploma in mathematics passed the nationwide university entrance exams. He graduated with a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tehran Technical and Engineering University. 

He began his professional poetic career in 1986 and became one of the most serious and contentious poets of the new generation of Persian poetry. Abdolrezaei has had an undeniable effect on many Persian poets through of his poetry as well as his speeches and interviews. He is also one of the few poets who succeeded in expressing his unique poetic individuality. His 31 varied books of poetry –In Riskdom Where I lived, Shinema, So Sermon of Society, Improvisation, This Dear Cat, Paris in Renault, More Obscene than Literature,  Hermaphrodite, A Gift in A Condom, You Name this Book, Only Iron Men Rust  in the Rain, Terror, La Elaha Ella Love and Fackbook  – endorse his poetic creativity and power. Nearly all well-known poets and critics of Persian poetry have written about Abdolrezaei’s work. 

In September 2002 after his protest against heavy censorship of his latest books such as So Sermon of Society and Shinema, he was banned from teaching and public speaking. He left Iran and after staying a few months in Germany, followed by two years in France, he moved to London, where he has been living for the last 6 years.

Abol Froushan

Biography

Abol Froushan left the Shah’s Iran to live and study in London in 1975. In 1979, he received his BSc in mechanical engineering from Imperial College, University of London. In 1983, the sudden death of a seven-year-old relative in a car accident set Froushan off on an uncharted path of writing poetry. In the meantime, at Imperial College, Abol completed his Masters in social and economic studies and his PhD in fluid dynamics (which was awarded the same day Abol was granted UK Ordinary Residence). His British passport was issued on Valentine’s Day in 1990. On it, “Place of Birth: Tehran, 10/10/1957”.

Since its eventful beginning in 1983, Froushan’s career in literature and performance has encompassed poetry, video, audio recordings and literary criticism, and has run alongside his career in high-tech industries, from nuclear engineering to information architecture for banking and insurance industries. His work since 1986 has taken him to numerous places, including London, Manchester, Bristol, Connecticut and Toronto. Since 2006, Abol has built artistic collaborations with the well known Iranian poet Ali Abdolrezaei. Together with Parham Shahrjerdi and Mansor Pooyan, they formed London Skool, a band of multilingual poets and critics whose aim is to create poetry and texts through a hybridisation of languages, genres and lifestyles, challenging accepted norms, shaking up literary standards and proposing new directions for exile and post-exile literature.

Abol Froushan has published two selections of his own poetry: A Language Against Language (in English) (Exiled Writers Ink, 2008) and the bilingual volume, I need your desert for my sneeze (in Persian & English) (PoetryPub, 2009). He has also been published in the anthology Silver Throat of the Moon (ed. J. Langer; Five Leaves, 2005) and the Exiled Ink magazine, as well as in multimedia web-based publications including www.photoinsight.org.uk and Poetrymag. His English translations of Ali Abdolrezaei are In Riskdom where I lived (Exiled Writers Ink, 2008) and the forthcoming Sixology (PoetryPub, 2010). He has also translated Parham Shahrjerdi’s Risk of Poetry.

He has publicly performed his poetry in select London venues such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the National Portrait Gallery, the Poetry Café, New End Theatre, Arcola Theatre, the Waterman Centre, Scala Theatre and Riverside Studios.

(Biography published in Poetry International, 2010)

The post Refugee Poetry: Ali Abdolrezaei & Abol Froushan appeared first on Refugee Radio.

A race against time to cook a fabulous Iranian dish of khoresht kadu for 50 hungry people with the Singing Chef! Meet Mister Freeborn.

The post Refugee Kitchen: Cooking with Mister Freeborn appeared first on Refugee Radio.

We bake bread in a clay oven and make minestrone soup in the Mouslecoomb Forest Garden with the students and volunteers of the Migrant English Project.

The post Refugee Kitchen: Forest Soup appeared first on Refugee Radio.

A shopping trip to a Turkish grocers leads to a new discovery. We make Taboulleh with feta cheese in Heval’s kitchen. Featuring tracks from Nizamettin Aric’s new album. 

The post Refugee Kitchen: Taboulleh appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Featuring cookery from the young people at the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Project in 2011:. Together we made Sudanese falafel, Chinese sweet and sour, Kurdish Dolma and chocolate chip cookies.

The post Refugee Kitchen appeared first on Refugee Radio.

This programme was made by Jenny Reina and Zubair in 2012 as part of our refugee mentoring project to help people use radio to tell their stories. 

One man’s fight for survival and justice after fleeing Afghanistan to escape death at the hands of the Taliban and the government. The above episode is a recording from 2010 when we first interviewed Zubair about his story.

The post Zubair: Afghan Voices appeared first on Refugee Radio.

How asylum destroys personal relationships. Documentary by Vaska Trajkovska and Seyed for our Radio Mentoring Project in 2012. With contributions from Freedom from Torture, Medact, MIND & Nafsiyat.

An Iranian asylum seeker talks about his fight to survive against torture in his home country and injustice in the UK. The above episode is a recording from 2010 when we first interviewed Seyed about his life.

“My government took my life. Here, this government took my life and when you look at the past or the future you haven’t got any hope. Everything’s collapsed. Exactly like tsunami or earthquake.”

The post Seyed: Everything Has Collapsed appeared first on Refugee Radio.

The heartbreaking story of Misheel, a Mongolian girl who dreamed of becoming the Princess of Liverpool. Also features Tuvan throat-singing music from Mongolia.

The post Misheel: The Princess of Liverpool appeared first on Refugee Radio.