IW*S RADIO #16 | Ukraine: BIPoC refugees reflect on their experiences nine months on

Nine months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, IW*S’ Jennifer Kamau has a discussion with three BIPoC women*, who were studying at university in the Ukraine. This IW*S RADIO episode highlights the intersectional challenges that BIPoC refugees are confronted with in the state of displacement: from the way that border officials prioritised white Ukrainians over BIPoC migrants, to the countless institutional barriers, the spread of misinformation and the sexual violence that women* face in these vulnerable situations - to name a few.


Read More

IWS RADIO #15 | Ukraine: BIPoC refugees are fleeing the same bombs but don’t get the same treatment

On February, 24, 2022, the Russian army attacked Ukraine forcing millions of people to flee their homes seeking safety and protection within Ukraine itself or to neighboring countries. Faced with such an emergency, European countries decided quickly and without much bureaucracy that Ukrainian refugees would receive temporary protection for up to three years without having to apply for asylum, with rights to a residence permit and access to education, housing and the labor market. However, not all people fleeing Ukraine could access such freedom of movement or protection. Black and brown refugees were met with a different kind of welcome at the borders and beyond them.
To talk about this situation Jennifer Kamau speaks with Nora Brezger from the Flüchtlingsrat Berlin and Dalís Pacheco Salcedo, from the Universität der Künste Berlin.


Read More

IWS RADIO #14 | #MakeNoise – Connecting European Struggles with WIDE+

On the occasion of 25th of November, the Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women, the gender and migration working group of WIDE+ met in Berlin to discuss the persistence of violence against migrant women in Europe, and to plan and create a collective response and resistance against violence, in all its aspects - gender-based, structural and/or institutional violence.

IWS RADIO invited a few participants from different European countries, to share the stories of their respective and common struggles, to speak about their political work and organisations.


Read More

IWS RADIO #13 | Navigating the German Asylum System while Queer and Trans

M, a new IWS member, joins Jennifer to share the ins and outs of navigating the asylum process while also being queer and trans. M gives a detailed glimpse into the entire journey from the initial airport procedures to life in the Lager - and the crucial information and support that enabled her to go through it all. Then shifting from the personal to the political, the two discuss the ways that Germany’s image as a ‘queer haven’ is in stark contrast to the brutal realities facing those seeking asylum as a queer person.


Read More

IWS RADIO #12 | Jeju to Berlin: Migration, Racism, and Feminisms in South Korea and Germany

With European countries tightening migration even more after the ‘Summer of Migration’ in 2015, 500 people from Yemen arrived on the South Korean island of Jeju in 2018 seeking asylum. In response, 700 million people signed an online public petition against their asylum acceptance and a constitutional amendment on asylum law. The fierce backlash in South Korea came from not only nationalists - but also people who had declared themselves as feminist. Young-Rong Choo and Aram Lee join to discuss the reckoning this moment sparked for the feminist movement in South Korea and how migration, racism, and feminisms from South Korea to Germany are deeply intertwined.


Read More

IWS RADIO #11 | Lesvos to Berlin: Life at the Greek Borders and Living Undocumented in Germany

After a long break, IWS RADIO returns with our first program in 2021. We pick up where we left off: discussing the brutality of the EU border politics. Jennifer is joined by Zahra and Anna - two Berlin-based activists - to talk about the inhumane living conditions created by the EU border and asylum policies in Greece and Germany.


Read More

IWS RADIO #10 | EU Border Politics: Dirty Deals, Externalisations & Pushbacks

Syrine from Watch the Med - Alarmphone and Christina from Women* in Exile & Friends join Killa and Jennifer to discuss EU Border Politics and how these policies impact the situation for migrants and refugees in Germany -- and what have to be our strategies to fight back.


Read More

IWS RADIO #09 | Migration & Mental Health: Creating Support Networks For Women

Jennifer and Denise discuss with Lucía Muriel and Jasmin Eding about mental health, mental illness, isolation, and torture - and how we can create a support network for migrant and refugee women living in Lagers.


Read More

IWS RADIO #08 | Women Organising Against Violence and all Forms of Oppression

Lavenda, Shokoofeh, Shadia, Nujiyan, and Xalteva from the Alliance of Internationalist Feminists Berlin come together for this special IWS RADIO episode ahead of the 25th of November - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women - to discuss violences women face and how women are organising against all forms oppressions in their own contexts and through transnational alliances.


Read More

IWS RADIO #07 | From “Ausländerklassen” to “Willkommensklassen” – Institutional Racism in Germany’s Schools

Jennifer Kamau from IWS discusses the prevalence of racism in schools in Germany with Céline Barry - a Berlin-based social scientist whose research centers on the topics of racism, feminism and intersectionality in post-colonial contexts.


Read More