Jetzt spenden! Spenden

08.04.2025, Berlin

Migration narratives: Trapped in racism and colonialism?

Berlin
08.04.2025, 18:30 Uhr

Place: ECCHR, Zossener Strasse 55 - 58, 10961 Berlin
Please register below for this event. Doors open from 6pm. 

Speakers:
Aghogho Akpome (professor, University of Zululand)
Sandra Alloush (journalist and board member at European Network Against Racism)
Musa Okwonga (author, podcaster, poet and musician)
Moderated by Hanaa Hakiki (Border justice directress, ECCHR)

We have been raised and operate in an environment in which narrations on “migration” and “migrants” are intrinsically racist and colonial. The terms themselves attempt to eclipse and decontextualise Global South mobility within a deeply imbalanced and exploitative postcolonial global system. This allows policymakers to target racialized people by making their movement, stay and activities irregular through reforms focused on excluding them from legality. Public acceptance of these policies is enabled by an often-non-critical media discourse which further dehumanizes “migrants”. 

These othering narratives run deep and without actively seeking to identify and deconstruct them, they will be reproduced even by those acting for the interest of “migrants”. In these circumstances, can we ever talk of “migrants” and “migration” without perpetuating racism and colonialism? How much do narratives matter in efforts for social justice? 

Join us for an evening of reflection with: 

Aghogho Akpome, an associate professor in the Department of English at University of Zululand. He worked briefly in the media in Nigeria before becoming an academic and researcher, with a specific focus on African-thought and African-centered approaches to narratives, migration, de-colonisation, representations, literary theory and discourses. In his project “The refugee ‘crisis’ and European re-imagining of Africa”, he analyzed European imaginaries on Africa and Africans in pieces which highlight the conditions of people on the move.

Sandra Alloush, an international award-winning Syrian refugee journalist based in France. She has produced news reports and documentaries exploring issues around migration and asylum. Sandra also works as a policy advisor consulting with UN bodies and advocating for the rights of refugees and migrants and for mechanisms for their participation at policy level. She was recently elected to the board of directors of ENAR, the European Network Against Racism. 

Musa Okwonga, an award-winning writer of fiction and non-fiction, a journalist and co-host of the Stadio football podcast. His work explores politics and society, more recently focussing on racism in Germany. He is Ugandan-British, grew up in the UK and has now lived in Berlin for a decade. One of his recent books, “In The End It Was All About Love”, is a work of autofiction about love, loss, racism and alienation as a new Berliner.

The conversation will be held in English. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aktuell

Archiv (272)