IWS RADIO #16 | Ukraine: BIPoC refugees reflect on their experiences nine months on by International Women* Space

On February, 24, 2022, the Russian army attacked Ukraine forcing millions of people to flee their homes seeking safety and protection within Ukraine itself or to neighboring countries. Faced with such an emergency, European countries decided quickly and without much bureaucracy that Ukrainian refugees would receive temporary protection for up to three years without having to apply for asylum, with rights to a residence permit and access to education, housing and the labor market. However, not all people fleeing Ukraine could access such freedom of movement or protection. Black and brown refugees were met with a different kind of welcome at the borders and beyond them.

To talk about this situation Jennifer Kamau speaks with Nora Brezger from the Flüchtlingsrat Berlin and Dalís Pacheco Salcedo, from the Universität der Künste Berlin.

On the occasion of 25th of November, the Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women, the gender and migration working group of WIDE+ met in Berlin to discuss the persistence of violence against migrant women in Europe, and to plan and create a collective response and resistance against violence, in all its aspects - gender-based, structural and/or institutional violence.

IWS RADIO invited a few participants from different European countries, to share the stories of their respective and common struggles, to speak about their political work and organisations. Listen to hear stories of migrant women making a difference.

Moderated by Jennifer Kamau and Denise Garcia Bergt from IWS.

With music by Vivir Quintana and Soundz Of the South.

M, a new IWS member, joins Jennifer to share the ins and outs of navigating the asylum process while also being queer and trans. M gives a detailed glimpse into the entire journey from the initial airport procedures to life in the Lager - and the crucial information and support that enabled her to go through it all. Then shifting from the personal to the political, the two discuss the ways that Germany’s image as a ‘queer haven’ is in stark contrast to the brutal realities facing those seeking asylum as a queer person.

With music from Blaq Diamond and Pedro Capó & Farruko

With European countries tightening migration even more after the ‘Summer of Migration’ in 2015, 500 people from Yemen arrived on the South Korean island of Jeju in 2018 seeking asylum. In response, 700 million people signed an online public petition against their asylum acceptance and a constitutional amendment on asylum law. The fierce backlash in South Korea came from not only nationalists - but also people who had declared themselves as feminist. Young-Rong Choo and Aram Lee join to discuss the reckoning this moment sparked for the feminist movement in South Korea and how migration, racism, and feminisms from South Korea to Germany are deeply intertwined.

With music from Kkot-Da-Gi and Girls’ Generation.

After a long break, IWS RADIO returns with our first program in 2021. We pick up where we left off: discussing the brutality of the EU border politics. Jennifer is joined by Zahra and Anna – two Berlin-based activists – to talk about the inhumane living conditions created by the EU border and asylum policies in Greece and Germany. Zahra shares her experience of living in the Lesvos refugee camp with her family and her time organising with the women’s group at the camp. Anna explains how migrants can become illegalised in Germany – often after coming from an entry country like Greece – and what the Legalisierung Jetzt campaign is doing to fight for legalisation for all.

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With music from Ghawgha Taban and Eric Wainaina.

For the final program of the year, Killa and Jennifer discuss the dirty deals the EU is making to keep externalising the EU borders on the one hand and to make pushbacks and deportations easier on the other - and Germany’s central role in these tactics even though it projects itself as an upholder of human rights. Syrine from Watch the Med - Alarmphone and Christina from Women* in Exile & Friends join to talk about how these policies impact the situation for migrants and refugees in Germany and what have to be our strategies to fight back.

With music from Ana Tijoux & Shadia Monsour, Aṣa, and Aretha Franklin.

Jennifer and Denise discuss with Lucía Muriel and Jasmin Eding about mental health, mental illness, isolation, and torture - and how we can create a support network for migrant and refugee women living in Lagers. They unpack how issues of mental health for migrant women are linked to the traumatic experiences that lead women to flee, the traumatic experiences they had on their journeys to Europe, the precarious living conditions and isolation in the refugee shelters, which are never addressed, and above all - the fear of deportation. All of which is the direct result of the ongoing structural violence of patriarchy, white supremacy, colonialism, capitalism, and sexism.

With music from Mercedes Sosa, Nina Simone.

Lavenda, Shokoofeh, Shadia, Nujiyan, and Xalteva from the Alliance of Internationalist Feminists Berlin come together for this special episode of IWS RADIO ahead of the 25th of November - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. They discuss the violences women face created by a history of colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, and white supremacy - and how women are organising against these oppressions in their own contexts and through transnational alliances. All over the world, women are getting organised and calling all women to be a part of this internationalist fight.

With music from Khalil Farh, Palomar, Koma Sehid Xebat, and Muthoni Drummer Queen.

This episode focuses on how structural racism manifests itself inside institutions, specifically within the German education system. Jennifer Kamau from IWS discusses the prevalence of racism in schools in Germany with Céline Barry - a Berlin-based social scientist whose research centers on the topics of racism, feminism and intersectionality in post-colonial contexts. We also look at how these dynamics were heightened during the Covid19 lockdowns - affecting many of our lives and our children.

Céline is active in various anti-racist initiatives such as the Berlin Muslim Feminists and KOP - Campaign for the Victims of Racist Police Violence. Céline worked at the anti-discrimination advice service of Each One Teach One e.V., which offers counselling for Black, African and Afro-Diasporic people and carries out monitoring on anti-Black racism. The organisation are also involved in campaigns such as „Ban! Racial Profiling!“ and „Death in Custody“.

With music from Junior Marvin, Stromae and 113