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‘A hug to migrant women’: the book that grew from lockdown

When Livia Barreira moved to the UK in 2016 she would introduce herself by saying: “I am Livia, I am from Brazil, and I came to Sheffield because my husband is from here.” There was nothing in that sentence about her – her job, skills, hobbies, passions – but she didn’t realise it until another migrant woman pointed it out. Livia, a journalist and communications expert, describes that comment as a turning point in her life in the UK: the moment she learnt to give herself the importance she deserved.…

When Livia Barreira moved to the UK in 2016 she would introduce herself by saying: “I am Livia, I am from Brazil, and I came to Sheffield because my husband…

Migration stories: the other side of hope

“We wanted a space where people with refugee background or immigrants could feel they could exercise their voice, but for an audience that is compassionate and interested.” the other side of hope is an online literary magazine aimed at highlighting migrant and refugee narratives and creating literary spaces for people to tell stories related to migration, asylum, and settlement. Based in the UK, it publishes work by writers from around the globe. Many members of the editing team are themselves migrants and refugees. The twice-a-year magazine features a variety…

“We wanted a space where people with refugee background or immigrants could feel they could exercise their voice, but for an audience that is compassionate and interested.” the other…

"A year ago I crossed the Channel in a dinghy. Three days later, 32 people died trying to do the same"

One year ago, on 24 November 2021, 32 people died trying to cross the Channel in an inflatable dinghy. A new ITV documentary shows that British and French authorities, each assuming the other would send help, passed the buck as the migrants repeatedly asked for help and drowned. Nadine*, a Syrian woman who made the same journey only three days before the tragedy and who survived her own boat sinking during a previous attempt, tells her story to Migrant Voice. When I learnt about the tragedy, I had been…

One year ago, on 24 November 2021, 32 people died trying to cross the Channel in an inflatable dinghy. A new ITV documentary shows that British and French authorities,…

‘Who will speak for asylum seekers if we’re all just watching?’

Loraine Masiya Mponela was not born a sad poet. “All children are born happy,” she says. I am a sad poet because of the circumstances that life’s deal which put me on the edge “Going through the stuff that I did,” she tells Migrant Voice, “the ‘sad poet’ is a set of my own experiences.” Those experiences have been tough. Loraine came from Malawi in 2008 to study at the University of Leeds and worked in care after her graduation, but from 2015 until this summer she had to fight…

Loraine Masiya Mponela was not born a sad poet. “All children are born happy,” she says. I am a sad poet because of the circumstances that life’s deal which put…

Three reasons why I left Albania to move to the UK

Ten years ago, I decided to leave Albania to move to London. Once in the UK, I was scared to answer the question: “Where are you from?” If I mentioned that I was Albanian, many people would get scared of me. That was the time where streets of London were full of billboards promoting the film “TAKEN”. If you haven’t seen this movie, I recommend you don't. A few months later, one of my best teachers (coming from abroad) who trained me in Albania about family therapy, sent me an email asking…

Ten years ago, I decided to leave Albania to move to London. Once in the UK, I was scared to answer the question: “Where are you from?” If I mentioned…

Fly With Me: Celebrating Afghan culture with kites, music, tea and poetry

A dozen colourful kites flew high in the wind, their owners carefully pulling and releasing their long strings, and about 100 people watched as they listened to music from Afghan musicians and drank tea. The crowd had gathered on Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath, London, last Saturday. In 20 locations across the UK and Europe, others were doing the same: communities came together for Good Chance’s Fly With Me event, a “festival of solidarity” with the people of Afghanistan involving kite flying, music and poetry, one year after the…

A dozen colourful kites flew high in the wind, their owners carefully pulling and releasing their long strings, and about 100 people watched as they listened to music from…

Rohingyatographer: The photography magazine from the world’s largest refugee camp

In the world’s largest refugee camp, a group of young Rohingya residents has put together Rohingyatographer, the first photography magazine created by refugees. In glossy, high-quality photos, from youngest to oldest, the inhabitants of Kutupalong, in Cox’s Bazar, southern Bangladesh, are portrayed in the first issue, published earlier this year. Sahat Zia Hero, the magazine’s founder, editor and one of the photographers, says the team created the magazine as a tool to reach people around the world and to campaign for their people’s rights. “We want people to see us…

In the world’s largest refugee camp, a group of young Rohingya residents has put together Rohingyatographer, the first photography magazine created by refugees. In glossy, high-quality photos, from youngest to…

“Queens of the Commonwealth”: the moving stories of Birmingham’s ‘unsung heroes’

One woman said goodbye to her father when she moved to the UK, and never saw him again. Another met hers for the first time as a five-year-old at a British airport, having just arrived with her mother from Lahore. These are just two stories from ‘Queens of the Commonwealth’, a moving documentary featuring the stories of 22 women who moved to Birmingham at some point in their lives from Commonwealth countries. The movie premiered in Birmingham on 9 July, and was directed by Panikos Panayiotou, a Brummie-Cypriot director…

One woman said goodbye to her father when she moved to the UK, and never saw him again. Another met hers for the first time as a five-year-old at…

Detained Davincis: Artists in Lithuania draw attention to the plight of asylum-seekers

How a civil society organization connected with artists caught up in Lithuania's unlawful immigrant detention policy. This article was originally published on Unbias The News, a platform for journalists who experience structural barriers in the field. We are republishing the first part of this article here; read the whole story on Unbias The News. Written and photographed by Gabriela Ramirez | Edited by Tina Lee | Illustration by Yorgos Konstantinou In May 2021, several thousand people crossed from Belarus into Lithuania, seeking asylum in the European Union. One year later,…

How a civil society organization connected with artists caught up in Lithuania's unlawful immigrant detention policy. This article was originally published on Unbias The News, a platform for journalists who…

Art Represent: Making sense of what brings us together

What do we have in common with people, and what sets us apart? Baiqu Gonkar started asking herself these questions at a young age. Born in Tibet, Baiqu saw the discrimination Tibetans faced from Han Chinese when she was a child. She moved to the UK at 11, and in London, a melting pot of stories, lives and cultures – she faced racism and discrimination once again. “People do not see you as an individual, or recognise your multi-layered identity,” she said once. As a new Londoner, she began to…

What do we have in common with people, and what sets us apart? Baiqu Gonkar started asking herself these questions at a young age. Born in Tibet, Baiqu saw the…