Opinions

Migrant Voice Blogs

16/04/2014

Pinar Aksu: Fun and painful memories of Glasgow Red Road flats

History. That is something very important for all of the people who are seeking safety in UK. Sometimes, its better when history is not remembered and forgotten but then at times it is the history that reminds us of who we are. When I think of areas in Glasgow, such…

09/04/2014

Špela Drnovšek Zorko: Continuing the media debate at a Migrant Voice seminar

How do we change the way the migration story is told in the media? And how do we actively work with journalists to get nuanced stories by migrants into the press? Addressing these issues lies at the core of Migrant Voice’s mission, and is reflected in the media seminars organised…

07/04/2014

Judith Vonberg: Yashika Bageerathi and the immigration debate

Two weeks ago, the name Yashika Bageerathi was known only to her family and friends. Now that name is synonymous with a flawed asylum process. Fleeing a violent family member, the Bageerathi family arrived in the UK from Mauritius in 2012. They claimed asylum together but Yashika, who recently turned…

20/03/2014

Ilaria Bellacci: Unspoken truths: the sign of Migrant Voice

"The papers next day were full of the ‘Brixton Mystery’, as they termed it. (…) The Daily Telegraph remarked that in the history of crime there had seldom been a tragedy which presented stranger features. (…) After alluding airily to (…) the Darwinian theory, the principles of Malthus and the…

17/03/2014

Emma Hibbert: Exploring Voices: How the World of Festivals Empower and Inspire

London, Barcelona, New York – just part of a handful of cities across the globe who fill their year with vibrant festivals and events drawing the attention of leading filmmakers, producers, musicians, artists, activists, and more. The festival circuit has become an intrinsic tradition for numerous communities, celebrating and embracing…

10/03/2014

Selbin Kabote: Reflections on the shame of forced migration and collective amnesia

It is amazing how some motion pictures on slavery can steer some déjàvu sentiments or strange ironies, when one compares voluntary or free migration as opposed to forced migration or the internal slave trade. Watching Steve McQueen’s award winning movie “Twelve years a slave” was a journey down painful memory…

04/03/2014

Imogen Thomas on: 'Learning not to be silent...'

In 2013 I was introduced to the Migrant Voices charity by Dena Arya. She invited me to participate in the Face to Face (F2F) project. This was a series of workshops taking place in order to encourage people, migrants and ‘natives’ to integrate, learning from and working with each other.…

17/02/2014

Petros Tesfagherghis: Distressed refugees in Israel are calling for help

It is with great sadness that I appeal to the Jewish Community in the United Kingdom on behalf of the Eritrean Refugees Support Association to bring to your attention of the worrying situation of African refugees in Israel. In recent weeks, the Israeli government stepped up the arrest and imprisonment…

12/02/2014

Olivia Warham: UK: life in limbo for Sudanese democracy activists

Britain remains blind to the reasons why threatened minorities and activists are forced to flee hostile regimes, treating those who seek asylum with hostility and disdain. We must recognise the bravery of those who want for their country the freedoms we take for granted. Sudan is among the world’s most…

21/01/2014

Alexander Kohnert: Impact of the Immigration Bill on international students

When the immigration bill was published we asked students to respond with their views on the three proposals that we saw as most damaging – NHS charges, landlord checks and the removal of appeal rights – and received over 800 responses in three days and 1200 in total. What became…