Migration Matters

Racial profiling critic's play

The man who created an unprecedented storm of publicity in Sweden over his open letter about “Sweden’s closet racists” – which sparked 120,000 likes on Facebook and more than 500,000 clicks on the article online – has a play on in London. The hundred we are is tucked away in a little-known theatre in Hackney, east London, and it’s very good. That shouldn’t be a surprise because his open letter about racial profiling is brilliantly powerful and succinct. Its contents will be recognised by almost every Briton who is a…

The man who created an unprecedented storm of publicity in Sweden over his open letter about “Sweden’s closet racists” – which sparked 120,000 likes on Facebook and more than 500,000…

It’s burqing brilliant

Review of the show 'Burq Off' by Daniel Nelson Nadia P Manzoor, you are brilliant. Manzoor’s one-woman show, Burq Off, about being a rebellious British Pakistani woman will anger a few, annoy some, entertain many. She is writer and performer, and is superb in both capacities. It’s a no-holds-barred, truth-telling, funny, touching, dramatic, lacerating look at aspects of British and Pakistani culture, gender discrimination, religious rigour, patriarchal hypocrisy, migrant mash-up, teenage hormones, reflexive racism, sex, love and prejudice, Manzoor’s two-hour journey starts with a five-year-old’s longing to be an astronaut and…

Review of the show 'Burq Off' by Daniel Nelson Nadia P Manzoor, you are brilliant. Manzoor’s one-woman show, Burq Off, about being a rebellious British Pakistani woman will anger a few,…

Report from MV 2014 conference

The report from the Migrant Voice conference - From divisive rhetoric to inclusive debate; what role for each of us? which took place June 6-7th, 2014 is out today July 15th and can be read here: http://bit.ly/1qCMazg You can also watch two sessions from the conference: the Migrant Voice ‘Question Time’ Immigration Debate, chaired by Simon Israel, Home Affairs Correspondent, Channel 4 News; and the Face2Face project learning from Europe session, which brought together learning and experiences from a number of UK and European cities. Part 1 of the conference videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd80bi9LDyI Part 2…

The report from the Migrant Voice conference - From divisive rhetoric to inclusive debate; what role for each of us? which took place June 6-7th, 2014 is out today July 15th and…

The human face of asylum

If 'Leave To Remain' generates public understanding and sympathy for the lives of the youngsters who seek asylum here every year, it will have done a good job. Leave To Remain It’s no ordinary feature. Yes, it’s a funny, dramatic, heart-warming tale of the adventures of three unaccompanied asylum-seekers in a shelter for teenagers: two Afghans, Omar and Abdul (whose connection is gradually revealed) and a Guinean, Zizidi. Topically, given the current publicity around female genital mutilation, Zizidi was circumcised at the age of 12 and has suffered sexual abuse,…

If 'Leave To Remain' generates public understanding and sympathy for the lives of the youngsters who seek asylum here every year, it will have done a good job. Leave To…

Migrants' journeys through Calais

Article and research by Amelie Belfort “For myself, I tried to think why not France. But the French law is closed. When you come to France, they are happy to take information about you but if you have connections in other EU countries, they didn’t want to know about you anymore. I was put into jail in Paris, but when I said I had lived in Italy, they stopped the interview. Italy treats you really badly. If I had my human rights there, I would have stayed. There is nothing,…

Article and research by Amelie Belfort “For myself, I tried to think why not France. But the French law is closed. When you come to France, they are happy to…

Migrants Invisible in UK Media

A new report published June 13th, 2014 by Migrant Voice reveals huge under-representation of migrants in mainstream British media. Migrant Voice analysed 577 online news stories relating to migration over an 11 week period from January to April 2014, from sources including the BBC, ITV, SKY news, The Daily Mail, The Times, The Sun, The Evening Standard, and The Guardian. There are some fantastic examples of migrants' contributions to British life that feature in all of these media outlets, but when we step back and look at the overall data…

A new report published June 13th, 2014 by Migrant Voice reveals huge under-representation of migrants in mainstream British media. Migrant Voice analysed 577 online news stories relating to migration over…

New Huguenot Heritage Centre

New Huguenot Heritage Centre will tell the story of French Protestant immigration The first national Huguenot Heritage Centre, which opens next Summer, will bring the little known but fascinating, and hugely important, story of French Protestant immigration and integration to a wide audience. Indeed the Huguenots flight from France to England brought the word ‘refugee’ into the English language. The French Hospital, founded in 1718 as a charity offering sanctuary to poor Huguenots, has received a confirmed grant of £1.2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the development…

New Huguenot Heritage Centre will tell the story of French Protestant immigration The first national Huguenot Heritage Centre, which opens next Summer, will bring the little known but fascinating, and…

Immigrants telling their own stories

Discussions of race and immigration have been all over the media in the last few weeks. This is of course thanks largely to UKIP and the nasty racist rhetoric they have been using in their European election campaign. But discussions have also been had about the language of racism in the wake of the unpleasant BBC footage which emerged last week, of Jeremy Clarkson using the N-word. It’s been notable that, in most mainstream coverage of all this, the voices have all been rather white and British. There have been…

Discussions of race and immigration have been all over the media in the last few weeks. This is of course thanks largely to UKIP and the nasty racist rhetoric they…

2014 Multicultural Homecoming

Review of the Multicultural Homecoming 2014 event at the Scotland Street School Museum Glasgow 30th April 2014, by Pinar Aksu. I have decided to participate in this great event with two hats on: one being a person representing the Turkish community and second being a volunteer for Migrant Voice. As I have entered the room, musicians representing Iranian, Turkish, Irish and Arabic cultures were checking the sound system and looking through each others cultural instruments. This was the Multicultural Homecoming 2014 launch event of a partnership between BEMIS Scotland, Visit…

Review of the Multicultural Homecoming 2014 event at the Scotland Street School Museum Glasgow 30th April 2014, by Pinar Aksu. I have decided to participate in this great event with…

Migrant businesses and the new tower

Looking down towards the sea from the top of Preston Street, you wouldn't think it was once the thriving 'restaurant street' of Brighton. Before the North Laine area started pulling business away in around 1995, the 320 metre stretch boasted 46 restaurants out of 63 units. A collection of mainly migrant owned outlets, having originally arrived to capitalise on the personality of the street as a multicultural eating hotspot, cling on to what business there is left. However, the customers simply aren't there, and more and more of the units…

Looking down towards the sea from the top of Preston Street, you wouldn't think it was once the thriving 'restaurant street' of Brighton. Before the North Laine area started pulling…

Migration Matters