In September 2025, your hosts visited Morocco after not seeing each other for four years. In this bonus episode, we talk about our recent trip to Morocco and our experiences as Black women navigating travel. 

To get in touch, feel free to email us at [email protected]! Follow us on Instagram @reflections_onmigraion!

Love and light,

Khaddija and Lola

Diaspora homecomings have become a big cultural movement that has boosted tourism, music, culture and arts in many African countries. However, as this cultural movement continues to garner international attention, it raises questions about diaspora engagement and local populations. In this episode, we talk about diaspora homecoming, cultural tourism and diaspora engagement as a development initiative.   

To get in touch, feel free to email us at [email protected]! Follow us on Instagram @reflections_onmigraion!

Love and light,

Khaddija and Lola

Sources

Detty December: How Nigeria’s biggest city became the world’s hottest winter party destination | CNN

Detty December started as a Nigerian cultural moment. Now it’s spreading across the continent – and minting money

How Detty December Is quietly creating Nigeria’s real estate gold rush

Nigeria: "Detty December" Makes Lagos Africa’s Official Party Capital | Firstpost Africa | N18G

A Guide to Africa's Detty December

Lagos Detty December revenue hits $71.6 million, with $44 million from hotels, $13 million from short-lets - Commercium Africa

When Detty December Gets Dirty: Price Gouging, Burnout Hit West Africa’s Biggest Party - Travel Noire

The Death in Dubai and shady recruitments for Russia saga continues… This week, we continue the conversation surrounding the last two cases covered in the previous episode. How do we distinguish between voluntary and forced migration? What does choosing look like if you are misled towards a specific, detrimental choice? 

To get in touch, feel free to email us at [email protected]! Follow us on Instagram @reflections_onmigraion!

Love and light,

Khaddija and Lola

Death in Dubai: #DubaiPortaPotty - BBC Africa Eye Documentary

Man in Dubai sex trafficking exposé not Ugandan – envoy | Monitor

Uganda: Govt Sends Experts to UAE Over Sex-Trade Kingpin Mwesigwa - allAfrica.com

Dubai party boss 'arrested' for trafficking women with false promises of wealth - Birmingham Live

Jacob Zuma’s daughter accused of tricking men into fighting for Russia in Ukraine | South Africa | The Guardian

TikTok influencers apologize for campaign enticing South African women to drone-factory jobs in Russia - The Globe and Mail

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla resigns as South African MP over Russia mercenary recruitment scandal

South Africans trapped in Donbas after joining Russia-Ukraine war, Ramaphosa says 

In this episode, Khaddija and Lola discuss two recent instances of African women being lured into questionable and dangerous situations under pretenses. Some of which have turned deadly. Unfortunately, these situations are not new, and are not unknown to us or many living on the continent. The increased use of social media to attract young and vulnerable populations has now exacerbated the dangers of a long-standing and often ignored issue.

•  South African women warned about viral Russian job videos - August 25, 2025, Mayeni Jones, BBC News in Johannesburg

•  South African influencer Cyan Boujee apologises over viral Russian job videos - August 27, 2025, Khanyisile Ngcobo, BBC News in Johannesburg 

  Boss of degrading sex-trade ring in Dubai's glamour districts unmasked by BBC - September 14, 2025, Runako Celina, BBC Eye Investigations

• Death in Dubai: #DubaiPortaPotty - BBC Africa Eye Documentary - September 14, 2025, BBC News Africa

Knock knock…is anyone there? We’re back, and today we’re discussing food through the lens of multiculturalism. We discuss access to food and how it can serve as a gateway to learning about different cultures, and how migration can shape our exposure to different cuisines depending on where we live! 

To get in touch, feel free to email us at [email protected]! Follow us on @reflections_onmigraion!

(We apologise for the audio in the beginning; it gets better as you listen.)

Love and light,

Khaddija and Lola

1. The intersection of culture and cuisine: How food shapes our identity

2. Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights by Will Kymlicka

3. Branding, Diplomacy, and Inclusion: The Role of Migrant Cuisines in Cities’ Local and International Action by Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi
   

Today’s episode features our first guest co-host and we are so excited for you to listen to an incredible discussion with Samuel Sarr, the Founder of Kailend Farms.

We discuss the work Kailend Farms undertakes in Togo, Samuel’s journey in creating a sustainable agribusiness, food insecurity, migration, and much more!

For more on Kailend Farms!

To get in touch, feel free to email us at [email protected] and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for updates @reflectionson_migration! 

Love and light,

Khaddija and Lola

Sources 

1. Kailend Farms - https://www.kailend.org

2. FAO definition of Food Insecurity - https://www.fao.org/hunger/en

3. Wave of increased food insecurity hits West and Central Africa: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148516

4. WFP Food Insecurity in West Africa - https://www.wfp.org/news/west-and-central-africa-faces-deepening-food-crisis-un-agencies-call-enhanced-humanitarian
   

In this episode, we focus on unaccompanied children and youth migrants. We know that the challenges faced by migrants are numerous. Those challenges and vulnerability are heightened for children and youth on the move due to their age. 

Young migrants have reported severe challenges, such as lack of food, poor shelter, health issues, theft, lost or stolen documents, and deprivation of liberty. 

Tune in as we bring further attention to the plight of these young people and the continued complexities of global migration. 

To all the unaccompanied, separated, missing, and unaccounted-for children and young migrants out there, you are not forgotten.

To get in touch, feel free to email us at [email protected]! 

Follow us on Instagram/Threads @reflections_onmigration! 

Love and light,

Khaddija and Lola

Take Action Today (NGOs supporting unaccompanied minors)

• SB Espoir
• Kids in Need of Defense
• The Young Center
• Church World Service

Sources /Further Readings 

1. Unaccompanied Children - UNHCR
2. Europe — Migrant and Refugee Children in Europe - Accompanied, Unaccompanied and Separated (January — December 2023) - IOM 
3. Child and young migrants - Migration Data Portal
4. Data and Children on the Move: Unpacking relevant terminology, concepts and data sources - UNICEF DATA 
5. From Promises to Action: Towards Better Data for Migrant and Displaced Children - UNICEF 
6. International Data Alliance for Children on the Move (IDAC)
7. Youth on the Move, Travelling by Sea and by Land to Europe in 2023. Focus on IOM's latest report - IOM
8. Child migration through the Darien Gap up 40 per cent so far this year - UNICEF 
9. One Unaccompanied Minor's Journey to the US Sparks Hope in California's Pilot Program | KQED 
10. Migrant and refugee children via mixed migration routes in Europe - UNHCR, UNICEF, IOM 
11. Toolkit on Unaccompanied and Separated Children - IOM (Interagency Working Group on Unaccompanied and Separated Children) 

We’re finally talking about passport power! What does it mean to have a powerful passport? Do you freely travel without ever worrying about entry or visa restrictions? Tune in to hear about what passport power is and how our personal travel experiences have been shaped by the passports we hold.  

To get in touch, feel free to email us at [email protected]! 

Love and light,

Khaddija and Lola

1. Henley Passport Index: https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index/ranking
2. Thing-power-politics: the passport as an object of global circulation by Mark B. Salter:https://millenniumjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/salter-passport-things-power-politics-lse.pdf
3. Passports, Mobility, and Security: How smart can the border be? Mark B. Salter https://www.jstor.org/stable/44218867
4. The Global Visa Regime and the Political Technologies of the International Self: Borders, Bodies, Biopolitics Mark B. Salter: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40645180

Almost 10 years ago, Alan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian child drowned and washed ashore in the Turkish resort town of Bodrum. The initial reaction to the photo of his lifeless body ignited worldwide sympathy for the plight of Syrian refugees in what was dubbed “Europe’s migration crisis.” Ten years later, has the rhetoric and aid surrounding refugees changed? Is Europe still experiencing a ‘migration crisis’, especially in light of the Russia-Ukraine war? Are we more sympathetic to refugees or only to ones who look a certain way? 

Tune in to hear about Alan’s story and our thoughts surrounding the aftermath of his death. 

To get in touch, feel free to email us at [email protected]! 

Love and light,

Khaddija and Lola

1. The changing political impact of compassion-evoking
2. pictures: the case of the drowned toddler Alan Kurdi - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328521095_The_changing_political_impact_of_compassion-evoking_pictures_the_case_of_the_drowned_toddler_Alan_Kurdi
3. The Aunt Of The Drowned Syrian Boy Tells What Happened After The Tragedy - https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/08/31/642952840/an-aunts-memoir-remembering-the-drowned-syrian-boy-on-the-beach
4. Al Jazeera documentary on Alan Kurdi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjVq0oX4DPQ
5. Too dead? Image analyses of humanitarian photos of the Kurdi brothers - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1472586X.2020.1731325
6. Understanding the Images of Alan Kurdi With “Small Data”:
7. A Qualitative, Comparative Analysis of Tweets About
8. Refugees in Turkey and Flanders (Belgium) - https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/7252/2155
   

This episode highlights the story of Faustina Tay, a young Ghanaian woman who tragically ended her life in 2020 due to the abuse and violence she faced at the hands of her employers while working under a government-sponsored program in Lebanon.

To contact us, email us at [email protected] or on Instagram @reflections_onmigration!

(We apologise for the audio. We ran into issues around 15:00. Fast forward 45s to 16:17. Thank you for your understanding.)

Love and light,

Khaddija and Lola

Sources

1. ‘The desperate final days of a domestic worker in Lebanon’ - https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2020/4/7/the-desperate-final-days-of-a-domestic-worker-in-lebanon
2. “ Faustina Tay Mentions the Sexual abuse by Hussein and Ali Dia” https://youtu.be/x65PnurOY8Q?si=gmFsk391YNWAF9gx
3. This is Lebanon, the organization Faustina Tay contacted numerous times to help her before her tragic passing. https://thisislebanon.site/
4. Mannon, S. A., Petrzelka, P., Glass, C. M., & Radel, C. (2011). Keeping Them in Their Place: Migrant Women Workers in Spain's Strawberry Industry. International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food , 83-101.
5. Moreno Fontes Chammartin, G. (2004). The feminization of international migration . International Migration Programme, ILO, 39-47.
6. International Labour Organization . (2019). Migrant domestic workers. Retrieved from ILO: https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/labour-migration/policy-areas/migrant-domestic-workers/lang--en/index.htm
7. DW ‘Behind the Produce’ Documentary: https://youtu.be/Z5sA0ioZcNE?si=d821bqXoPAE6L-u6