IWS RADIO

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. --- 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

Dr. Natasha A. Kelly is an academic activist, visualutionist and afrofuturist. She joins Jennifer Kamau from IWS for a deep dive into the history of racism in Germany - the origins and continuities of German (and European) Colonialism and a look at “the other side of the coin”: Black German history. We discuss stories of resistance, the history of Black movements in Germany and the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Schule occupation where IWS was formed and where we met Natasha who was taking on a liaison role at that time. Natasha also draws parallels between now and 100 years ago when W.E.B. Du Bois wrote “The Comet”, which Natasha’s latest book - “The Comet - Afrofuturism 2.0” reintroduces readers to. In 1920, the world was recovering from the last major global pandemic - the so-called Spanish Flu - and the USA from the “Red Summer” of 1919, which saw a wave of race riots and white supremacist mobs attacking and killing African-Americans in 30+ cities across the country following a number of peaceful protests against the racial violence. Sound familiar? Just as Du Bois did, Natasha challenges us to envision and create the futures we want for ourselves. If we are demonstrating, we should not just be thinking about what we are demonstrating against, but also what are we demonstrating for! With music from Nuuki, Antinational Embassy, Jeff Braun and Celina Bostic

In this episode, we go deeper into understanding anti-semitism within the context of racism in German society. COVID-19 gave rise to a range of conspiracy “theories” - which are often explicitly or implicitly anti-Semitic. A well known anti-semitic trope is the image of the Jew controlling the media or the finance world - and now this has been adapted and we see the image of the Jew as a likely “mastermind” behind the pandemic. This aside, what about the mainstream discourse in Germany that paints the Jews as eternal victims? To challenge these narrow and racist representations, Sharon from IWS invited Chana Dischereit who is active with the Roma and Sinti Association Baden-Württemberg and the NSU Civil Tribunal, Iris Hefetz from Jewish Voice for Peace in the Middle East - Germany, and Inna Michaeli - a sociologist and feminist queer activist. We hare and discuss our experiences in Germany, on diverse Jewish identities, anti-semitism and political activism. With music by Yasmine Hamdan, Deaf Chonkey and Frau Sammer.

Guests Sanchita Basu and Canan Bayram are welcomed by Killa Kupfer, Jennifer Kamau & Denise Garcia Bergt from IWS to talk about Berlin’s new anti-discrimination law that was passed in June: What came before? What type of cases does it cover? What impact could it have? What will it take to see a similar law on the federal level? Sanchita is political activist who has co-founded several organisations in Berlin and is currently working at Reach Out - a counselling centre for victims of rightwing extremist, racist or anti-Semitic violence in Berlin. Canan is a lawyer and a member of the German parliament for the Green Party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen). Both were involved in the creation of the law and will work with it in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a wave of violent racism against Asian communities all over the world. IWS members Ngoc, Haewon & Dahye welcome three guests for our third episode of IWS RADIO to discuss this and more... We hear first from Jiye Seong-Yu of Asian Voices Europe about how the group went about dealing with the anti-Asian racism. Then, Esra Karakaya of Karakaya Talks joins the show to discuss how the good immigrant image perpetuates the colonial strategy to divide and conquer - and the need for solidarity among migrant communities. And, finally, Thao Ho talks about her collective DAMN (Deutsch Asiat*innen Make Noise) and what it will take to move towards more Black-Asian solidarity.

Lavenda, Jennifer and Denise from IWS are joined by Diana Arce from Black Lives Matter Berlin and Hela Kanakane from Alarm Phone. We talk to Diana about the killing of George Floyd in the US and the ongoing wave of anti-racist protests it sparked. She discusses how racism manifests itself in the US and in Germany and highlights relevant current debates. Hela shares information about the situation of migrants at the borders of Europe: the Central Mediterranean Sea and describes how an already dire situation has worsened in the wake of the Corona pandemic.

The first episode exposes the inhumane conditions of the Lager system in Germany, especially in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic.

IWS Radio is a podcast series on the migrant woman experience brought to you by IWS, the International Women* Space. We are a feminist, anti-racist group of migrant women, refugee women and women without this experience. We work to document the lives and stories of refugee and migrant women living in Germany.