Kategorie: Auf Englisch

In the category „auf English“ you will find articles in English. We are working on publishing more articles in English for our readers and on founding a separate English-speaking editorial team.

  • An inventory of racism in health care

    Racism manifests itself in different ways in the health care system. But there is a lack of reliable numbers and data. An inventory of colonial assumptions, misdiagnosis and lack of sensitivity in medical education.

    In 2021, a research team commissioned by the German Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency presented the research project Diskriminierungsrisiken und Diskriminierungsschutz im Gesundheitswesen (Discrimination Risks and Discrimination Protection in Health Care). The result: Discrimination risks exist both in access to and in the use of health care. Discrimination such as racism manifests itself not only in the form of discriminatory behaviour on the part of medical staff, but much more in the form of institutional practices and processes that favour unequal treatment of patient groups.

    Racism in healthcare is multi-faceted and affects people on many levels. Sometimes racism is directed at health care workers, sometimes at patients, and sometimes racism costs lives when it prevents diseases from being detected early and treated properly.

    In Germany, however, there is hardly any research on the topic. Due to a lack of data, the debate is often one-sided, and institutional practices and structural inequalities stay unaddressed. It is therefore worth taking a look at the USA, Canada and the UK, where there are far more reliable figures.

    Institutional racism in medicine

    According to the Human Rights Watch study „We Need Access“ in conjunction with the “Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative of Economic and Social Justice”, Black women are diagnosed with cervical cancer much later than white women. They are also more likely to die from it, although cervical cancer is preventable and highly treatable if caught early enough. In the U.S. state of Georgia, Black women are twice as likely to die from cancer as white women. This is, for example, because they are less likely to be screened for cervical cancer, less likely to be informed about preventive measures, or less likely to have their pain taken seriously.

    Although cervical cancer is preventable in most cases, institutional racism, or factors such as socioeconomic background, ensure the opposite. This excludes BIPoC from the health care system and cuts them off from important information and services that can be crucial to life and death.

    In Germany, too, accusations of racism in the health care system are piling up, primarily as a result of the corona pandemic. The proportion of foreign nationals among all deaths increased during the pandemic at an above-average rate. Between January and August 2021, 4500 foreign nationals died – more than in 2019 during the same period.

    Causes of the increased mortality could include on average poorer housing and working conditions, limited access to healthy nutrition, and more frequent use of public transportation. But again, there is a lack of data that could validly reflect structural discrimination.

    A short history lesson – colonial-historical assumptions

    People with a history of migration and flight often receiving inadequate medical care is also due to a research and knowledge gap in medicine. Many pathologies such as skin rashes, neurodermatitis or Lyme disease are difficult to recognise for the untrained eye on dark skin – which is due to the fact that corresponding textbooks predominantly refer to white patients. In 2020, Malone Mukwende, a Black medical student from the UK, published the textbook „Mind the Gap“, where symptoms are shown on different skin colours to counteract this problem.

    In addition, there are still colonial-historical presumptions that need to be dismantled. Other studies from the USA, for example, show that heart attacks in Black women are more often overlooked and therefore only treated half as often. In Great Britain, it was found that the mortality of Black mothers due to birth complications is five times higher than that of white mothers.

    An intersectional perspective is needed

    What is striking: Black women are particularly often affected. This is due to a combination of anti-Black racism and sexism, which has its roots in colonial times. In order to trivialise slavery, Black bodies were said to be more physically capable. This is still evident today in the stereotype of the „strong Black woman“, who is supposed to be more resistant and allegedly less sensitive to pain.

    The so-called „southerner’s syndrome“ (morbus bosporus) is also still widespread today. According to this, patients whose origin is assumed to be Mediterranean are said to have an exaggerated sensitivity to pain and an exaggerated expression of pain, although it has been known for a long time that people perceive pain individually and independently of gender and origin. Black people often report being confronted with stereotypes by medical professionel or not being taken seriously with their complaints.

    The result: trust in the health care system is declining. This can lead to those affected visiting medical facilities less often – and thus their health is increasingly at risk.

    This article was also published in German.

  • Artikel 21 – help for queer refugees

     

    Joe, also known as Josefine, is involved in the project Artikel 21, which supports refugees from the LGBTQIA+ community in the asylum process. She herself fled from Syria to Germany in 2015. We meet at Joe’s home, sit on the balcony and eat the various snacks Joe has prepared.

     

    What experiences did you have with health care during your asylum procedure in Germany?

    I didn’t feel well at all: I didn’t feel safe and my queer identity was denied to me. Queer refugees are put into collective accommodation in Germany and are very alone there and have no access to the queer community. There are perpetrators, homophobic and transphobic people there. The place where you are supposed to have the possibility to withdraw is unsafe. Moreover, the asylum procedure is based on a heteronormative system.

     

    „I was very afraid of the future“

     

    What is the impact of this?

    This means, for example, that in the personal interview in the asylum procedure, there are people and translators present who have not been not sensitised. During my first interview, things were written down in the protocol that I did not say. My appearance with a beard was used to infer that I can’t be queer. I also get looked at strangely on the street. This has led to me suffering from depression.

    Did you have any support?

    My accommodation had no counselling centre for queer people.The staff of the accommodation were able to help me after I had experienced or witnessed violence. Social workers are not educated about the queer community. I was always told to inform the police. This made me very upset. I was very afraid of the future. My health was not good.

     

    „“Artikel 21″ shines a light on these problems“

     

    Where you able to seek medical support?

    Medical care is accessible in a very limited way. In 2015, there were no insurance cards, but treatment vouchers instead and it was not possible to just see doctors like usual. You are dependent on the given time frames. In the asylum process, there are trans* people who are at an important point in their transition and don’t get any support.

     

    How did you get involved in the “Artikel 21” project?

    „Artikel 21“ shines a light on these problems and draws particular attention to the situation of refugees from the LGBTQIA+ community in the asylum process. I know about the project from other organisations like Refugees Sisters or Queer Refugees Support. I got help there and that sparked my motivation to help other people who suffer from the situation in the same way. In the project, queer people talk about their experiences in the asylum process.

    What are you asking for?

    We are asking for shelters especially for queer people and protection from the first day of the asylum procedure. We have also started a petition for this. We want protection to actually happen and for the traumatisation not to continue. We want to question the system of initial admission. Protection is needed right from the first moment. We demand access to counselling centres and training for the staff involved in the asylum process, as well as better medical and psychological care. When we organise exhibitions, there is always an open list as an opportunity to share further demands and ideas. Something is aways added. That helps us move forward.

     

     

     

    This article was also published in German.

     

  • Culturally sensitive therapy – how can it work?

    Topics surrounding mental health have now arrived in many parts of society. On everyones lips on TikTok, topic of many infographics on Instagram – content that is designed to make us think, reflect and that encourages us to engage in exchange. The importance of mindfulness, empathy awareness of needs to ourselves and others is often mentioned. It is also known that psychotherapy should be more accessible and that the lack of space needs to be addressed. In short: psychotherapy for all.
    But even today in 2023 it is still a fact that the psychotherapeutic care system is not designed to relieve the high proportion of people with a migration background – statistically more than a quarter of the German population, trend rising. Yet there are approaches that attempt to do just that

    Culturally sensitive therapy

    So-called culturally sensitive therapy focuses on engaging people who have grown up in and with other cultures in a way that is appropriately adapted and open. It is important to take into account that people with a migration background often bring with them different traditions as well as religious beliefs and are impacted by these. A different approach to health and illness or language barriers can also play a major role. The goal of culturally sensitive therapy is to give consideration to those affected in a holistic way. This means being sensitive to the particularities of everyday life and the needs of patients in order to improve care – or even make it possible in the first place.
    Intercultural, transcultural or culturally sensitive therapy are buzzwords that psychology students, prospective therapists and those interested in therapy encounter in articles and the occasional lecture – but that’s pretty much it. Even though universities receive funding to pursue research in the field they are still not a fixed component of university teaching.
    If topics such as flight and migration are discussed, this is usually done by white teachers who reproduce racist stereotypes in their work and cannot step outside of their perspective. In therapy, it can happen that those affected encounter therapists who have neither understanding, sensitivity nor sufficient competence, often scaring off those seeking help, or putting them under additional strain. This is not surprising: even if (prospective) therapists devote themselves to these relevant topics and want to incorporate them into their work, they are dependent on external workshops, seminars and further training. Trainees can receive credit for these, but they usually have to bear the costs themselves.

    “Intersectionality remains an unknown word”

     
    White, privileged professors write manuals about and for disadvantaged, migrant and often racialised, non-homogeneous groups. What is neglected are sociological and demographic factors that significantly shape people’s lives. Yet it would be so important, especially in a country like Germany – whose history is steeped in the oppression of the „other“ – to convey these issues in a concrete and differentiated way. Only in this way can a realistic picture of society be presented and oppression actively countered.
    Structural disadvantage with regard to different aspects – poverty, ethnicity, sexism, ableism – thus become invisible. Intersectionality remains an unknown word. Migration and flight often imply changes and psychological trauma, but do not necessarily mean noticeable, manifesting psychological problems. Those affected can, however, be more susceptible to them depending on individual conditions and circumstances, precisely because they are often also affected by other circumstances that place an additional burden on them.
    At the same time, people with a migration background are put under even more strain: individually and structurally as well as emotionally. Experienced insecurity, lived pressure to integrate and assimilate, isolation, and lack of social support all have a negative impact on mental health.

    Perspectives of people with migration background are missing in research

    Available studies offer indications that those affected are generally confronted with poorer mental health, but they are rarely significant enough to be considered representative and thus able to create awareness. This is partly due to the fact that experiences of discrimination in connection with the mental health of people with a migration background are almost never recorded in research, which in turn considerably reduces the significance of the studies.
    Individual migration processes and their diverse causes, forms of development and the manifestations of mental illness may not be adequately captured by the usual diagnostic categories: these correspond to western criteria and definitions. Expressions of grief and fear can also differ between cultures and thus require a more dynamic diagnostic approach.
    In addition, more complex situations such as successive traumatic events and life situations are not taken into account. Post-traumatic stress disorder for example is diagnosed by recording a single event that begins and ends at a specific point. Yet many people it does not remain with one definable event. A traumatic flight involves multiple places, times, routes, languages, interactions, losses, emotions.

    Deeds not words

    So, what needs to change? First of all, it is important to advocate for further training to increase in number, gain more attention and be made accessible. Above all, it is crucial to establish culturally sensitive content at universities. Even if a research base already exists, more studies are needed that look at the connections between migration and vulnerability to mental disorders in Germany – without leaving out significant social factors. It is time to turn performative figureheads of universities that adorn themselves with research on flight and migration into deeds. And to dissolve structures that prevent reflective engagement.
    This article was also published in German

  • Ein Gedicht voller Hoffnung zum Weltflüchtlingstag

    – english Version below –

     

    Auf die Hoffnung

    Hoffnung für euch selbst, eure Kinder, eure Enkelkinder.
    Hoffnung für euren Partner, eure Mutter, euren Vater, eure Brüder und Schwestern.
    Hoffnung auf eine bessere Zukunft, auf eine Zuflucht vor all dem Grauen, das ihr erleiden musstet, weil ihr im falschen Land, in der falschen Klasse, im falschen Geschlecht, mit der falschen Hautfarbe geboren wurdet.

    Hoffnung auf ein besseres Heute, Morgen, eine bessere Zukunft.
    Hoffnung, dass die Welt eines Tages in Frieden lebt und ihr nicht mehr aus eurer Heimat fliehen müsst.
    Hoffnung auf einen Ort, den man Heimat nennen kann, außerhalb der Heimat.
    Hoffnung auf Menschen, die sich wie Familie anfühlen, an einem Ort, der sich fremd anfühlt.
    Hoffnung auf offene Arme, die euch beschützen.

    Auf all die Mütter, Väter, Geschwister, männlich und weiblich, die mutig genug waren, Sicherheit und Freiheit zu suchen.
    Die Ozeane überquert haben, um von einem Ort zu fliehen, den sie nicht mehr als ihre Heimat erkennen. Dem Ort, an dem sie aufgewachsen sind und der mit Erinnerungen an Freude und Lachen und Vertrautheit gefüllt ist.
    Auf das Wissen, was wahre Aufopferung ist.

    Ich applaudiere euch, denn ihr seid die wahren Helden dieser Welt.
    Ihr seid stark genug, um für das zu kämpfen, was ihr verdient. Menschenrechte.
    Stark genug, um all die Mühsale zu ertragen, die entstehen, wenn man sein Zuhause verlässt und etwas Unbekanntes betritt.
    Auf die Hoffnung, dass auf der anderen Seite freundliche Gesichter sind.
    Auf die Hoffnung.

     

     

    Here is to hope

    Hope for yourself, your children, your grandchildren.
    Hope for your partner, your mother, father, brothers and sisters.
    Hope for a better future, for a refuge from all the horrors you must’ve endured being born in the wrong country, the wrong class, the wrong gender, the wrong skin color.

    Hope for a better today, tomorrow and future.
    Hope that one day the world is in peace so there’s no need for you to escape your home.Hope for a place to call home, outside home.
    Hope for people that feel like family in a place that feels foreign.
    Hope for welcoming arms that protect you.

    Here’s to all the mothers, fathers, siblings, females and males that were courageous enough to search for safety and freedom.
    That traveled oceans to flee from a place they no longer recognize as the place they called home. The place they grow up in, that is filled with memories of joy and laughter and familiarity.
    Here‘s to knowing what true sacrifice is.

    I applaud you for you are the true heroes of this world.
    Strong enough to fight for what you deserve. Basic human rights.
    Strong enough to endure all the hardship that comes from leaving home and entering something unfamiliar.
    Here’s to hoping that there are friendly faces on the other side.
    Here‘s to hope.

  • African Climate Alliance: An Interview

    How is the African Climate Alliance organized?

    ACA started out as a grassroots youth-led group that organised as an interschools climate council with an adult supporters group. Over time, a number of the young adult supporters saw the need to formalise the group as an organisation to make room for fundraising to support the work, as well as to make the movement more accessible.

    Eventually ACA formalised into an organisation that has a small team and a number of programme focuses, with education at the heart of all we do. The organisation has a board that oversees our accountability to ethical governance, while the organisation remains dedicated to serving its growing youth network. ACA also works in alliance with other civil society organisations in South Africa and on the African continent.

    At the beginning of ACA, you were oriented towards the European climate movement. When was the turning point to an Afrocentric approach?

    It wasn’t an intentional move to orientate ourselves towards the European climate movement. There had just been a call from Fridays for Future for a global climate strike and many people responded. It was an outlet for the helplessness many were feeling as a result of what we were reading about climate change and experiencing in our home country.

    „We intentionally shifted our focus to building climate literacy“

    Based in Cape Town, we had already come close to running out of water, whilst many people in the city have never had access to drinking water in their own homes in the first place. In the very beginning when organizing the first few protests, there was a realization that the call for children to skip school and coming together at a central point to protest didn’t take into account the disparity in education facing South African youth, alongside the lack of access to inexpensive and safe public transport.

    This meant that the protests and organising groups were dominated by young people who had financial and racial privilege. We intentionally shifted our focus to building climate literacy to grow the movement and make it more accessible to all.

    What are the biggest differences between Eurocentric and Afrocentric climate movements?

    There are various stratifications within the climate movement in both Europe and Africa so it is not necessarily appropriate to speak of it in a way that homogenises it. However we have seen that in some subsets  of the Eurocentric climate movement, there is a heavy focus on the science of climate change and tunnel vision of focusing on climate change alone. Often this leads to oversimplified fixation on technological or market based solutions, or blaming the problem on overpopulation alone. We do not deny that science is important and various solutions have their place.

    However in Afrocentric or global south movements, we are aware that colonialism and capitalism are the root causes of climate change.  This approach means you cannot focus on climate alone, you need to have what we refer to as an intersectional approach. One that looks at history, at social issues, at various interconnecting elements to the crisis and what possible solutions could be.

    „We are also looking within Africa to find and develop solutions to our problems“

    When we say Afrocentric we also mean that we are prioritising education and solutions that focus on people living in Africa as a place that has been heavily extracted from in the name of ‘progress’ and ‘development’, and which now faces significant climate impacts.

    We are also looking within Africa to find and develop solutions to our problems. Because while we believe in global collaboration and solidarity, there is ancestral knowledge here that is rooted in sustainable thinking and right relationship with the land.

    Are there also commonalities?

    At the heart of the idea of climate justice is to call for a better present and better future for all. To take care of the one home that we have.

    In an interview with the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Ayakha Melithafa explains that the Afrocentric climate movement needs its own approach to solving the problem. What does this look like?

    It means taking into account the specific challenges that people face on the African continent which also varies from country to country. One example is ensuring more equal access to the movement itself. Such as providing data for people to attend education workshops or download educational resources about the climate movement.

    „We want to equip young people to take action in their own communities“

    Or, when there are protests, it means mobilising in the face of spatial apartheid and challenges with affordable and reliable public transport. It also means looking to local contexts to understand what communities need and how they can take ownership of climate solutions in their own way, rather than assuming a one size fits all technological fix is what people want or need.

    „Youth unite for climate justice“ is one of your slogans. Why is reaching out to African youth in particular so important?

    Youth in Africa face incredible challenges from historical to current injustices that impact their daily lives. With our work we want to equip young people to take action in their own communities in ways that make sense for them.

    You yourselves are a youth-led organization. Why are young voices so important?

    Young voices are not always given serious consideration at decision making level – even though the future will impact young people the most. Young voices also bring a fresh, energetic and dynamic perspective to challenges. That is why we believe in the power of young leadership while still respecting the importance of wisdom from our elders and the impact that intergenerational organising can have.

    What reactions do you get from politics and society?

    We get a variety of reactions. Some do not take us seriously, others celebrate what we have to say, others bring us into spaces but in a way that tokenises us rather than acts to truly hear what we have to say. Some politicians and spheres in society also aim to discredit us because we pose a threat to their often corrupt fossil fuel interests.

    On your posters you repeatedly read the slogan „System Change not Climate Change“. How does the system need to change?

    The system needs to change to be one that prioritises people and planetary wellbeing over profit. It needs to shift into a model which isn’t trying to fit a finite planet into an infinite economic growth model, and which does not extract from and poison the global south for the benefit of the global north’s economy.

    „we believe in the power of young leadership while still respecting the importance of wisdom from our elders“

    People are also part of what makes up a system.  That means people, particularly who are affluent and live in the global north, need to change the way they live. To not aspire towards luxury and excess at the expense of everyone else, the planet, and eventually themselves.

    One of your Instagram posts reads: „Everyone is unique and everyone has something beautifully different and valid to bring to the table when it comes to the climate justice movement“. How do you implement this in your work?

    We focus on a variety of programmes which look at different ways of addressing the climate crisis. We also encourage young people in our network to hone in on their unique skills and passions, and to use that towards contributing to a better world. Be it through art, writing, policy engagement, advocacy, administration or more.

    In Germany, climate movements are often criticized for being too white, academic and privileged. Do you share this criticism?

    To be white, privileged or well educated is not a reason not to form movements and to mobilise. In fact, the power that comes with those identity factors allows for privilege to be wielded responsibly. From our perspective, the criticism comes more from when those in these movements do not attempt to see past their own blind spots, or lead the movement arrogantly and without concern for those who are most impacted by climate issues.

    This leads to things like assuming that people in Africa and the global south should follow their lead, or the global south seeing our own messaging co-opted without credit. We have also seen a lot of tokenisation of black and brown activists by white European activists putting undue pressure on people to ensure that black and brown voices are heard. A lot of this comes from a good place but sometimes has a negative consequence. So while we truly want to work together across country, class and colour lines, we need to be able to have hard conversations.

    What kind of criticism do Afrocentric climate activists face in African society?

    Many people do not feel that it is fair that Africa is expected to ‘transition to a green economy’ when much of the continent has not yet had the benefit of a fossil fuel economy due to the fact that this has been hoarded by the global north. There is sometimes lack of trust and resistance to the climate movement due to concerns that it may bring about a new kind of green colonialism.

    „we advocate for decentralised and socially owned cleaner energy options“

    As climate justice activists based in Africa we understand this fear – which is legitimate – and are working to ensure that we stand against the climate crisis being used as an opportunity for the global north to continue with its extractive and unequal ways of working with Africa.  Furthermore, we advocate for decentralised and socially owned cleaner energy options which benefit our people and local economies.  We, however, also need to work to ensure that our leaders do not use this as an excuse to obstruct the movement.

    Jute bags have become a symbol of climate-conscious everyday life in Europe. Is there an African equivalent?

    Environmental consciousness is intrinsic to indigenous African ways of being. For very long this was considered backward by European nations, but today these ideals are repackaged and sold back to African people in the form of conscious consumerism.

    What would you like to see from the Eurocentric climate movement?

    International solidarity is incredibly powerful. It was a key element of bringing down the apartheid system in South Africa for example. Now it can and must be used again. People in Europe have the power to listen to the needs of people in the global south and use their proximity to power to call on their leaders to change their systems and stop sacrificing the global south.

    How can our readers support you?

    They can donate to our organisation to support our work and share our messaging with people in their networks.

     

     

     

  • Climate justice is social justice

    „There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” This is how Black activist and writer Audre Lorde summed up the situation in a speech in 1992. Meaning: There is no struggle that fights only one problem. Because in life, problems are not isolated from each other. Can you put this quote into context for us?

    Many of the societal challenges we are facing today are interconnected. That means we also have to connect them to each other while fighting them. That is also the issue regarding climate justice. Climate justice means that in the end we connect fights against the climate crisis with fights for social justice.

     

    „A climate-just world definitely means a socially just world“

     

    For example: The effects of the climate crisis are not evenly distributed across the global North and the global South. Yet the global South is not actually responsible for the climate crisis. If we compare societal privileges, it is the case that people who live in the North usually also have more privileges than those in the global South.

    Inequalities are also found here in Germany. If we look, for example, at the flood disaster in the Ahrtal two years ago, it was people with disabilities who were most affected – because they were not rescued in time.

    That means, if I understood you correctly, that we have to include different perspectives in tackling the climate crisis, especially from people who are and will be particularly affected by multiple experiences of marginalisation. A climate-just world is also a socially just world?

    Exactly! A climate-just world definitely means a socially just world.

     

    „We will all be affected to some extent by the climate crisis“

     

    Usually, many mention the industrialisation in Europe as the starting point for the climate crisis, for climate change, for man-made climate change. When do you see the beginning?

    1492, when Columbus landed the Caribbean. This is where the hierarchisation of people and the exploitation of resources began. It was also European philosophers who laid the foundation for this by establishing racist ideologies and racial theories in order to justify and legitimise the exploitation of people and nature. And there is also an important map that shows that already around the year 1800 the change in climate had become detectable.

    It has become a common saying that „everyone is in the same boat“ when it comes to the climate crisis. Do you find this image appropriate?

    I think the metaphor comes up short. We will all be affected to some extent by the climate crisis. But of course, it depends on whether we can deal with the effects of the climate crisis. For us in the global North, it will probably end up being less of a threat to our existence, while in the global South, people are already struggling to have enough food at the end of the day.

     

    „climate justice movement here in Germany is undergoing an important process right now“

     

    But at the same time, it is precisely in the global South that resistance against oppression and against the climate crisis has been going on for many decades or centuries.

    That’s right! There was also resistance already during colonialism against these exploitative structures. And of course, there are protests today! For example, there is resistance against a planned oil pipeline in Tanzania and Uganda. Activists are trying again and again to draw attention to the issue. Namely, that the climate crisis is closely interwoven with capitalism. The largest shares in the oil pipelines are owned by a French company.

    I feel like the frontline struggles against the climate crisis are not really in the public eye these days.

    I think the climate justice movement here in Germany is undergoing an important process right now. One of the slogans of Fridays for Future is: „We are loud because you are stealing our future“. Of course, that is true to an extend. But at the same time, it blocks out the perspective that there are people who are already affected by the effects of the climate crisis and are of course also resisting it. I think this perspective has changed a bit, especially in recent years.

     

    „We have to win over the broader society for the topic!“

     

    What does your ideal climate policy look like?

    I think the state should set incentives and prescribe measures so that people can adopt a more climate-friendly lifestyle. The infrastructure for this must also be created. For me, climate policy ideally means that we also implement a mobility change that is not only based on a drive change.

    In the end it means that we need to massively expand local public transport. That we also push back automobility in the cities to a certain extent, because it is also about quality of life on site. We also have the problem that people who are affected by racism are five times more likely to live near environmental pollution than other people. And, that on a global level, we act on an equal footing with states of the global South.

    What needs to change in the climate justice movement to make it more accessible and reflect the diversity of society accordingly?

    It is a problem of the climate movement that it is too academic and often the language used is also very academic. The climate crisis is of course a complex challenge. If we want to reach new target groups, we need to use a language that is easier to understand.

    And that we break down complex topics so that they are comprehensible, and to then go into a process of reflection together: What does this mean for me personally, for my own life? We have to win over the broader society for the topic!

     

    This article was first published in German

  • Five movies about migration

    There is a need to create a memory to retrieve the topic of migration from the depths of the subconscious. Especially in relation to press reports that reflect illegal pushbacks and personal destinies, there needs to be an important medium that addresses this in a different way. Migration is too far away from one’s own perception as a non-affected person. It needs to be framed in a way one can actually perceive. Often people can identify more easily with media such as films that show personal fates.

    How longing for a ship can be the start of a new journey

    It is a voyage into the unknown: the “Flotel Europa” should have been a new home for a child and family. It would be easy to think that this would be a normal und uplifting movie. This is not the case.

    Taking a deeper dive, the protagonists’ issue as people with a migration background is apparent. In this movie the protagonists mostly relate the role of Yugoslavian refugees und their experience of migration in coming to Germany in the early 90s. Life took place mostly in accommodations such as this ship. There it was often dark and windowless. Community kitchens determined everyday life. Director Vladimir Tomic uses this film as a autobiographical vehicle. It was reconstructed on the basis of the representation of a stolen childhood and „refugee misery“.

    How children experience changes between one place and another

    That place is simultaneously associative in nature while partially corresponding to the truth. The movie „La nuit et l’enfant” by director David Yon  speaks to a ever-present threat and danger. It focuses on the facets and backgrounds of a generation of youth that spends their time coming of age in the region of Dielfa, subjected to terrorist threats.

    The youth of this region perceive this as such: they internalise that terrorism is just a form of radical change in their lives. Before terrorism life was peaceful and free according to the protagonists. In its core the film describes the part of a youth that need to set boundaries and find their own identities.

    How flight away from the home country can have an impact as protest

    Three young people (Mayga from Mali, Elias from Ghana and Abidal from Burkina Faso) find themselves transported far from their homes to a Berlin winter in the movie “Escape from my eyes”. While fictitious, the movie is based on real reports and basic papers.

    Director Felipe Bragança made these on the basis of an exchange with refugees from a refugee camp on Oranienplatz Berlin. This exchange happened on the base of the artists’ association DAAD. He mainly focused on interviewing refugees fleeing war und political persecution.

    Lebanon as a place of refuge

    A film crew visits a Syrian refugee camp. Everyday life situations like hiding from war and children playing hide and seek are being shown. Contradictions arise as different worlds collide in one place.

    The movie „El Juego del Escondite” by director David Muñoz centers the meeting of reality, fiction and cinematic process. Reality is a situation only extracted from truth directly intended for the movie. The film is expected by the viewer to put events in a certain order. But the film wants to see itself as the only truth.

    A Hotline as a helpline for refugees

    Any given day and hour, the women of „Hotline“ are out and about helping refugees in Israel who need help organizing papers or are considered illegal immigrants. The camera is right in the middle of the action. The film shows the perspective of an activist who stands up for the arriving refugees from Eritrea and Sudan and encounters vehement resistance in the process.

    She hast to assert herself against many opponents such as prisons, human traffickers and other adversaries. Director Salvina Landsmann takes the audience to different places: offices, courts and Israeli parliament (the Knesset). It becomes obvious what is essential to the fight for human rights: talking, mobilising, documenting and convincing.

     

    This article was first published in German

  • Movimientos Auténticos – empowered through dance

    According to WHO 150 minutes of movement or 75 minutes of sport per week are necessary to maintain physical fitness. Moving regularly is healthy, benefits mental health und reduces stress.

    Building connection through movement

    “Moviementos Auténticos is all about experiencing and empowering the self through physical movement. „We mostly want to build connection“, says founder Jennifer Carmen Kubstin.

    Jennifer Carmen Kubstin is a dance instructor, yoga teacher and social worker. During her semester abroad in costa rica she started offering dance and yoga classes for the local women. „It was my goal to offer women the opportunity to move freely in a safe space.“ Kubstin adds: „We work with all women, because while many cannot talk about certain topics, they can express themselves through movement and dance.“

    Experience connection to the body

    Kubstin founded her club in Bochum in 2021 and became self employed as a dance instructor and yoga teacher. „With the courses we offer we aim to strengthen the connection of the individual to the self, experience connection to the body and create a more mindful awareness of the body, as well as realising the connection between body and psyche. To build connections to other women and other cultures, and combine the fields of dance, yoga, and social work“, Kubstin explains.

    Movimientos Auténticos champions women’s empowerment in Latin America and Germany. Its concept is about improving wellness and selflove by utilising dance and yoga. „Not only do our classes and workshops combine cultures with each other, but also the individual with the self“, says the dance instructor. „Our keywords are: empowerment, dance, interculturality, Yoga, connection, wellness“.

    Creating intercultural exchange

    In Costa Rica, Kubstin noted the local women’s preference for working with their bodies was even greater than in Germany. „So I thought, there is a great way to connect something like that, the problem one has recognized with the ressources available“, Kubstin tells kohero.

    Cultural differences between people are an indication of the diversity of this world. Still, many people simply do not know each other and have wrong ideas about the culture and habits of others. The project succeeded in breaking up stereotypes and conveying a correct picture of Europe and Latin America to each other.

    “I love this interculturality, since I noted that many people in Latin America think that Europeans know it all. That is why it was important to me to show to the people that these stereotypes are not correct“, says Kubstin. „Every culture in this world has a positive as well as a negative side, and only when we engage in exchange can we learn from each other.“

    A project for all women

    Right now, the programme is offered in Spanish and German, not only in Germany but also in Costa Rica, Mexico, Columbia and Nicaragua. The programme is available online and on site.

    „The content is identical, offering exactly the same to all participants. Meanwhile there are shared units for all women, to enable contact und exchange with other cultures. This is helped by translators and various translating tools. For certain things, like free dance, body language helps communication“, the social worker explains.

    „Our programme is aimed at all women especially here in Germany, no matter what languages they speak. So, women from arabic countries are paart of our target group, too. The project is not only for women from Germay or Latin America, but for all women.“

    Cultural appropiation and Yoga

    Critics hold the opinion that the philosophy of yoga was stolen by the western world, bending the culture to western needs (More in our Curry on Podcast), making Yoga a textbook example of cultural appropriation. This discourse is also happening in Germany

    “ I think that there is a line somewhere for all those critical ideas regarding cultural appropriation. I believe it is possible to hit the brakes up to a certain point when wanting to connect to another culture. That is why Yoga succeeded in bringing different cultures together these days.“

    The yoga teacher adds: “ I really like the philosophy of yoga. This school of thought connects the person to the environment, the person to themself as well as to other people and to other cultures. This kind of connection is what we are all about.“

    Yet Kubstin also thinks criticism is justified: „I have never been approached because of cultural appropriation in Yoga. But if someone comes to me and says: that is cultural appropriation, then I would like to think about it and change it accordingly. Apart from that it try to approach it from my heart.“

    A team of volunteers and free classes

    The club’s team works on a volunteer basis and finances its work through donations. „Anyone who cannot pay the current fee is offered a stipend. And if you are unsure about the sum, you can just pay what feels right.“

    „In Latin America we work with social facilities amongst others that support us in establishing contact to the women on site and in broadcasting the programme. Most of the women participate for free. That is why financing via our Crowdfunding campaign is a success for us“, she adds.

    This article was first published in German

  • next station – trapped in a memory

     

    Emily: First, tell us something about the development history of “next station”. You didn’t have any experience in making films prior to this. Howd did you decide to make a film, then?

    Mohammad: I wanted to do a master’s in Directing at Hamburg Media School, and in order to apply you need to shoot a movie. So, Ahmad and I pondered: how can we use this movie to convey a message? That is when we noted that many young people died in the last two years, and that is something that is weighing on us a lot.

    Emily: What do you mean, many young people died?

    Mohammad: Some young refugees die of Stress, because they cant get the right help, because they cant integrate themselves properly. They may attend Uni to study, but have no one to talk to, barely any friends, it’s not the way it was back home.

    Ahmed: In the beginning we were surprised to hear that 22 year olds die from a heart attack, but then it started happening again and again…

    Mohammad: It is very unusual for 20 people about our age. But if you live alone between four walls and only leave to go to work or to university, of course you become lonely, begin to live less healthy; you start to smoke more, for example. And this lifestyle in the end leads to a heart attack. But the trigger for that is loneliness.

    Ahmed: What also astounds us is that integration is often only considered in an academic way. You are supposed to learn the language, work or study, and done. But you need support in other areas that are often invisible in the media.

    Mohammad: We felt that the human side of intergration is often just ignored.

    Emily: You just anticipated a question I was wanting to ask you anyway. Because I often feel like there is fundamental misunderstanding about Integration. Many Germans think that it’s enough to finish a B2-Class and to start working – integration done.

    Mohammad: Refugees may leave their home, but home never leaves us. We are reminded of it simply by opening social media and seeing, a bomb landed here, a person was kidnapped there. We are grateful to be able to live here in peace, but that is something we still struggle with.

    Ahmed: Mutual support is something we don’t see a lot, and to be honest, from the German side as well. For example, it is very difficult for Syrians to find an appartement. A lot of the time we are still one big question mark for Germany society. Some are overwhelmed in private interactions with us. They are scared to say the wrong thing or don’t know how to be more open. But if you know, for example, my downstairs neighbour is a refugee, you could just try to knock and ask if there is something you can help with.

    Mohammad: about three months ago I was looking for an apartment. I didn’t hear back from anyone for months. Until I wrote to a Landlady and told her, I am not getting any answers because I am not from Germany. She was the only one to answer me, and she ended up giving me an apartment. I don’t understand it.

    Emily: One quote from the movie that stuck with me is: “Trapped in a beautiful memory.” What do you mean with this quote?

    Mohammad: If you lived in Damaskus before 2011, life was beautiful, incomparable to the time after…

    Ahmed: …Yes, a lot of people have beautiful memories of Damaskus. And Syrians rarely traveled abroad. But know our home looks completely different. If I ask friends in Syria about other friends or acquantances they can only say: I don’t know.

    Because everyone either left this place or died. Even if you manage to go back to Syria, you don’t return to the home you left. The people have changed, the buildings have changed, prices increased 1,500-fold. When someone tells me the price of an apple today in Syria it is completely unbelievable to me. That is why we Syrian refugees are trapped in a beautiful memory. We cannot again visit the place of our memories and relive that beautiful feeling. That was a very important topic in the movie: Should I return now or should I stay here?

    Emily: In the movie you mention the view into the future. When was the first time you asked yourself: “What will be in 30 years? Will I still be in Germany by then?”

    Mohammad: four years ago I met a man from Sudan who is in his fifties now and faces the same problem as Omar from the movie. Since this encounter I often ask myself: Can I keep living here if the situation stays as it is? Maybe I will be married someday and have a stable life, but can I stay here, still?

    Ahmad: That is a question every refugee asks of themself. Some are officially Germans, have been naturalised, lead a company or study, but they cannot answer this question. Because when I’m here in Germany, I’m the Syrian. And in Syria I am the German. You don’t really belong anywhere. This leads to many people with migration background working all year long just so they can spend a month back home during Christmas season. They save all year long just to relive this beautiful memory.

    Mohammad: Time passes so unbelievably fast here in Germany. I never felt that way in Syria. You have the same routine everyday and sometimes I ask myself how Germans can stand it.

    Ahmed: Life in Syria was much easier. When I went out in the evening there was always a café or restaurant right outside my door, shops are often open 24 hours. There are children everywhere playing football or teenagers that are just sitting together, having coffee and chatting. When I was bored in Syria I would just step outside and I would find someone who felt the same. There people work to live, here in Germany it is the other way around.

    Emily: You say that you would like to see more support from both sides – Germans and Syrians. What kind of support would you like to see more of?

    Mohammad: I work here and have German friends, but there are many Syrians that have no connection to German society at all. This is where Syrian refugees could found small organisations or societies that lend psychological support to others…

    Ahmed: I think that while organisations are helpful, in the end it is up to the people themselves. It’s up to the people that, for example, invite their refugee neighbours to their hom, take them to watch football, or many other things. To be honest, we don’t expect a solution from the government, but rather count on the openness of society. I often see jokes on TikTok about how difficult it is to make friends in Germany. We can understand that very well.

    Emily: Loneliness is a central topic in next station. Do you feel that loneliness is talked about among refugees?.

    Ahmed: Everyone has the problem with loneliness for the following reasons: When you come to Germany from Syria you really have to work hard the first three years, because you have to start life from zero again. That’s where the loneliness comes from: instead of finding friends, many have to work a second job on the weekend to support themselves or their family in Syria. In addition, many refugees are sent to villages where they cannot connect with society. And their Syrian friends are scattered all over Germany. So you get lonesome very quickly.

    Emily: Would there be a need for more mental health services specifically for refugees?

    Ahmed: Yes, definitely, that is very much missing. I know that Germans also have to wait several months for an appointment with a psychologist or psychiatrist. So this problem doesn’t only affect us Syrians, but all of society

    But it’s possible to start small with a hotline where you can get help in Arabic if you have any problems. Or as a bigger project every city would need a counselling centre where refugees can receive psychological support. There are a lot of counselling centres that people can turn to if they are looking for work or support in the asylum process. But there is a total lack of mental health services.

    Emily: Did you develop any strategies yourself in order to cope with loneliness?

    Mohammed: I try not to keep to myself. Sometimes you need that, of course, but you should not spend too much time allein. And talking to real people, your parents, for example. Not just to the internet.

    Ahmed: Yes, a lot of people talk on the phone with friends in Germany or with the parents to feel less alone. And you always find someone who has the same problems. For example, we often play cards together, or always try to do something on Sundays: Going out for breakfast, going for a walk, visiting each other. It doesn’t have to be anything big; the main thing is to spend time together. And hobbies can help too. For example, I met friends through a judo club, which also gave me access to German society.

     

    Mohammad: Yes, you have to push yourself. It doesn’t happen by itself.


    Emily: When I watched the movie I thought about an article our editor-in-chief Hussam once wrote. There he says that to him, integration means no longer being afraid to die here. I wondered if you could relate to this sentence…

    Mohammad: Oh, that is a very difficult topic.

    Ahmed: I myself know people who lived in Germany for 50 years and died here, too. Still, they wished to be buried in their home country. But when it comes to Integration, that means to me: To be able to see yourself as a part of society completely. I think sometimes people in Germany try very hard to define integration – instead of simply working for integration.

    Mohammad: That is the case unfortunately. And many Syrians that have been naturalised and are “officially” Germans are still regarded as foreigners.

    Ahmed: For many, integration is our task. But the truth is: Integration has two sides. We have to respect the culture, abide by the rules and look after ourselves. But the other side must also accept us.

    Emily: And it must be made possible for refugees to take care of themselves, right? Because you can’t do that when obtaining training or work is made so extremely difficult…

    Ahmed: Yes! „Next station” could be realised because the AGIJ e.V. and the employees of social services have given us a chance. In the end, it’s about this openness: giving someone a chance, or just hiring them

    Almost every success story of a refugee in Germany is half based on the fact that the person received a chance or help from someone. In fact, many pensioners in Germany do that. It is often forgotten, but pensioners have worked almost as much as the government: They have given German lessons in asylum shelters, helped to fill out applications or come along to offices.

    Emily: At the very end, do you want to tell us something about your new film project? I heard there is already something in planning…

    Mohammmad:  We cannot reveal all too much but our new movie will probably be released next year in April. It will be approximately 15 minutes long and it will be  about guilt. And it will be even sadder than next station. ((He grins)

    Ahmed: We try to use our movies to shine a light on things that aren’t seen enough. The topic of guilt is difficult and heavy but it is important to talk about it.

    And that’s a lot of work. We even applied for a semester off to be able to shoot the next film. It’s so much work, but it’s very fun

    Emily: Thank you for your time!

     

     

  • How can I get a passport?

    Question:

    “With regards to the following facts, my question is, whether I have any possibility to get a so-called blue passport?

    About Myself

    Dear Ms. Bauer,

    first of all, I would like to express my respect and thanks regarding your/this site.

    I am 39 years old and have been a resident of Germany/Hamburg for 35 years.

    Because of a juvenile sentence from 2001 and the associated imprisonment, I am in the toleration status since 2007 until today. The asylum procedure was rejected. Because of the juvenile sentence I have been classified as obligated to leave the country.

    Before my imprisonment, I was in possession of an Iranian passport and had a valid residence permit.

    When I was released from prison, it turned out that the public prosecutor’s office in Hamburg could no longer find my passport. This is also on record and happened through no fault of my own.

    Factual Situation

    Since 2007 I have been trying to obtain a passport or passport replacement papers with and without the request of the foreigners’ authority. These cannot be issued to me for factual reasons on part of the Iranian consulate. Moreover, neither did I have such papers with me nor my parents when I entered Germany as a 3-year-old.

    Because I never served the Iranian military, I accordingly also don’t have an Iranian identity card. With the expired invalid passport copy of myself and as a minor within my mother’s passport it is not possible to get replacement papers. Efforts by third parties in Iran to speak on my behalf were unsuccessful. And I was told to contact the responsible consulate. The Iranian consulate reported this situation about my non-existent documents in writing to the foreigner’s authority.

    I listed all this to emphasize my willingness to cooperate as well as the actual reasons and the lack of my own fault in this matter. Now, I recently became a father to a daughter and the toleration status has become even more unbearable for me.”

    Reply

    Dear Reader,

    you have had to deal with the German authorities and the Iranian consulate at great length, but you have managed to deal well with everything so far. I assume you are in possession of an electronic residence permit with the toleration status “Duldung” and probably you are also employed…. Congratulations on the birth of your daughter!

    The „blue passport“ is only issued to refugees who are recognized as refugees under the Geneva Refugee Convention (GRC) (Article 28 GRC). This does not apply to you.

    However, you can try to apply for a travel document for foreigners (so-called gray passport) according to §5 Residence Ordinance. Such a passport can be applied for at the foreigners’ authority if there is no possibility to get a passport from your home country. It entitles to travel abroad. Often, however, a visa is also required. One of the requirements is that it is unreasonable for you to apply for an Iranian passport. We now assume that you have documented all unsuccessful attempts to obtain an Iranian passport and can present them to the foreigners’ authority.

    Good luck!

     

    This article was first published in German.

    You can find more of Angelika`s advice here.

     

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