Refugee Radio

We talk to the young people at the Hummingbird project about their lives in Brighton and share their takes on everything from the weather to Trump, and from social media to mental health. Thanks to everyone involved in making this programme- Taiwo, Duad, Mo, Yohannes, Alaa, Micky, Bex, Elaine and all the gang at Hummingbird. The post Young Leaders: “It’s my life” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Julio is a Rasta from Mauritius, a small island nation east of Madagascar. He was a talented young footballer, but he suffered discrimination and was targeted by police violence due to his ethnicity and religion. The descendants of slavery from Africa do not have equal rights or opportunities in Mauritius. People who have been classified […] The post Julio: “Let me go outside” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Kirabo Robert fled the civil war in Sudan when he was just five years old. He lost his whole family in the refugee camps of Uganda, but he never gave up. Now he is fighting for survival with a dream for a better future for his own children. If they can build a small home […] The post Robert: A Refugee Family’s Cry for Shelter, Food, & Dignity appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Usman Khalid is a social entrepreneur and refugee. He founded HAVEN Coffee in 2019 as a coffee brand with a social mission. In this interview he tells us all about the story behind the project and the flagship café in London. We also have news of Usman’s forthcoming Laff-ucino comedy fundraiser with Shappi Khorsandi, coming […] The post Usman: Comedians in Charities Getting Coffee appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Why should you become a foster carer? Elaine and Clare talk about their experiences of fostering UASC and the supported lodging scheme. There are many rewards to fostering, and the city urgently needs new homes for children and young people. Find out more from the Brighton and Hove council website >> View upcoming events for […] The post Brighton: fostering Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Albania is the subject of a moral panic over crime and trafficking. But what is really happening in the country and what does it mean for the people affected? In this programme we investigate the relationship of Albanian ethnicity and history to modern issues of immigration, asylum, human trafficking, gangs and the struggle for identity. […] The post Albania: criminality and culture appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Patrick interviews Qahraman, an veterinarian from Kurdistan (Iraq), about his experiences of going through the asylum system. Qahraman was housed in Derby, Manchester and finally in Brighton where he started to attend Refugee Radio. Qahraman talk about some of the funny stories that happened to him as a vet and shares some of the painful […] The post Qahraman: “Lovely place and lovely people.” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

We talk to Phil Minns from Best Foot Music about the upcoming Razom event with the Ukrainian community and we hear new music from Bashir Al Gamar and a Ukrainian/Syrian fusion from local refugee musicians. We also have Ukrainian hurdy gurdy from Iryna Muha and Kurdish folk from Mohammed Syfkhan. The post Best Foot Music: Razom Together appeared first on Refugee Radio.

We talk to Jordan about his experience of fleeing persecution in the DRC and claiming asylum in Eastbourne, Sussex. The post Jordan: No one wakes up thinking- “Today I want to become a refugee” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Basma Kamel is an activist against FGM and child marriage. She is a refugee from Egypt currently living and studying in the UK. In this interview she talks about her experience as a survivor of FGM and about what we can all do to help stop this harmful practice. The World Health Organisation states that […] The post Basma: End FGM appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Bekkie is a rapper and fashion blogger from Albania. In this programme, we listen to Incongruent Hiphoppa, Bekkie’s latest album, and talk about everything from the transformation of spiritual identity to growing up LGBTQ+ in Albania with only KRS-One and Tupac to guide you. With thanks to Refugee Radio’s intrepid volunteer, Henry Tydeman. Listen to […] The post Bekkie: “Nothing else can stop you” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Kolbassia Haoussou MBE is the co-founder of Survivors Speak OUT, an anti-torture network of refugees at Freedom From Torture. He has been appointed Survivor Champion for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office initiative Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict  He has addressed the UN General Assembly in New York and the United Nationals Committed Against Torture and now he has given an […] The post Kolbassia: “Loud and fearless” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Steve and Julie G visited the Hummingbird Young Leaders project in Brighton to meet the young refugees who are going to be the future leaders of tomorrow. They told us all about the things they love (and hate!) most, as well as sharing some of their favourite songs. We would like to say a massive […] The post Young Leaders: “Our voice matters” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Dina and Vlada talk about their lives in Ukraine, the impact of the Russian invasion and finding sanctuary in Brighton, UK. We have wonderful music from Dina’s brilliant new EP, “Songs for Ukraine” which is available now to help raise money for humanitarian aid in Ukraine. With special guest, Phil Minns of Best Foot Music […] The post Songs for Ukraine: Dina and Vlada appeared first on Refugee Radio.

“When Ahmad’s life comes under threat by the Taliban in Afghanistan, he leaves his family behind for survival, without saying good bye, and ends up in Europe’s worst Refugee Detention Camp, Moria.” So begins Ahmad’s odyssey, a journey through the international refugee crisis that he chose to record, using his skills as a film-maker and […] The post Ahmad: Citizen of Moria appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Nanaha lives in a refugee camp for Saharawis in the Algerian desert. She works as a teacher for the Sandblast charity. In this programme Nanaha talks about her life and the experiences of her mother and grandmother when they were driven out of their home and forced into a life of exile for more than […] The post Nanaha: “they run from death to nowhere” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Osba left his home in Ethiopia aged 15 after he was persecuted as a member of the Oromo ethnic group. He crossed the desert to Libya in search of a safe place to settle, but found himself in more danger than ever. His journey took him across the Mediterranean and through Europe where he slept […] The post Obsa: My journey from Ethiopia appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Alvina Chibhamu was badly failed by maternity services and by the Home Office when she found herself having to claim asylum while pregnant. In this programme, Alvina speaks about her experiences and we hear from Yusuf Ciftci about a new Doctors of the World report highlighting the scandal of failures in maternity care for asylum […] The post Alvina: “Homeless, pregnant and alone.” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Shahireh Sharif is an Iranian writer and photographer. She recently performed her solo work, “I am an Orange Dot,” about a refugee in an orange life vest floating in the ocean, for Refugee Week 2022. Some of her fiction in English and Farsi is available via her website, Jar of Words. In this interview about […] The post Shahireh: “Travelling with the clouds” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Yusuf and Mjed are two refugee entrepreneurs who are kickstarting their exciting new social enterprises. In this programme we find out all about their plans and discover the capabilities and untapped potential of refugees in the UK. “We think this message is crucial, to turn mainstream audiences away from victimising refugees and towards the truth,” […] The post TERN: Refugee Enterprise appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Syrian-born architect and artist, Mohamad Hafez, takes us on a walk through the stree-tscenes of his miniature dioramas that transport the eye back to an imagined Damascus, before and after the Syrian war. We explore the visual conversation with homesickness and exile in a discussion of his work. Mohamad Hafez’s new exhibition, “Journeys from an […] The post Mohamad Hafez: “A safe haven for the soul” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Marwa Al-Sabouni is an architect and writer from Homs, Syria. In this interview she talks about the problems in Syria before the war and the challenge of rebuilding. Building for Hope and The Battle for Home, by Marwa Al-Sabouni, are available now from Thames and Hudson. This interview was recorded by Anna and Steve (with […] The post Marwa: “the battle for home” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Part Two of the interview: Nasrin Parvaz is a women’s and civil rights activist from Iran. She published her book “One Woman’s Struggle in Iran” with Victorina Press in 2018 about her experience of being arrested, tortured and sentenced to death for her activism. Her first novel, the Secret Letters from X to A, is […] The post Nasrin: One Woman’s Struggle in Iran appeared first on Refugee Radio.

This programme is dedicated to the memory of Angelina, the beloved sister of our friend, Alex Ntung. Angelina was murdered by the DRC army in 2021, a victim of the genocide against the Banyamulenge. The Banyamulenge villages are burnt, the people are massacred and the survivors are driven into refugee camps which are then subject […] The post Banyamulenge: The Slow Genocide appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Fuad is a refugee from Palestine who found family and friendship at Nam Yang Martial Arts Club in Brighton. In this programme we talk to Fuad about his experiences and we speak to Sam Byford-Winter, the manager and senior instructor at Nam Yang. Find out what’s so special about their club and why they have […] The post Fuad and Sam: Nam Yang Martial Arts appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Senait Mesfin Piccigallo talks to Refugee Radio about her new book “You’re in America – Now What?” a guide for refugees and migrants to successfully settle into their new lives in their new homes. We discuss the 7 key Skillsets to Integrate with Ease and Joy, as outlined in the book, and talk about Senait’s own […] The post Senait: “How to be a refugee” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Abdelrahman was arrested at the age of 17, just a curious young bystander in Egypt’s revolutionary chaos. He thought the police would soon realise their mistake and let him go. But they never let him go for, no for more than six years of his young life and his family’s tireless campaigning. In this interview, […] The post Abdelrahman: “You forgetting everything outside and everyone outside forgetting you” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Celebrating Library Week in Brighton with a selection of live courtesy of Best Foot Music. Featuring Bashir Al Gamar from Sudan and Kourosh & Reza with some Iranian folk songs. Bashir is raising funds for a well in his home village near the wartorn region of Darfur. Please support his campaign by purchasing his music: […] The post Jubilee: Library of Sanctuary appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Herbert is a Kenyan journalist and human rights defender who was forced to flee his home after exposing police violence in his country. In this show he tells us about his life and work and we discuss the situation in Kenya today. Refugee Radio would like to acknowledge the help of Prisoners of Conscience, a charity […] The post Herbert: “The rude boy with nothing” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Hyab is a researcher at the Institute of Technology and is an expert in human trafficking. He was forced to flee his home in Eritrea because of persecution by the government who have been held responsible for extrajudicial executions, a lack of elections and the use of indefinite military service. In this interview, Hyab talks […] The post Hyab: “The neighbour who calls me a neighbour” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Hamed Amiri talks about his book, out now from Icon Books, a love-letter to the NHS and a personal account of his family’s flight from Afghanistan. When the Taliban gave an order for the execution of Hamed Amiri’s mother, the family knew they had to escape, starting what would be a long and dangerous journey, […] The post Hamed: “The Boy with Two Hearts” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Political resistance and personal trauma; dehumanisation and the notion of “home”; we talk to Amir Darwish, a British-Syrian poet of Kurdish origin, about the life of a writer in exile. Featuring music from Kalochori, a refugee camp in Greece, by Amar, Rody and Ronav Zeno. This interview was recorded on the event of the publication […] The post Amir: “We want to live” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

The poet, Shirin Razavian, talks about her life and work on the launch of a new book celebrating 20 years of Exiled Writers Ink. “Resistance- Voices of Exiled Writers” is available now from Palewell Press. Shirin Razavian: British poet born in Tehran, has been writing poetry since the age of 9. She studied Persian literature […] The post Shirin: “The silence of the night” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Paul talks about the recent political violence back home in Uganda and the election struggle of reggae singer Bobi Wine. The post Paul: “My heart is back home” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Steve talks to the Kurdish musician Mansour Izadpanah about his life and work. Featuring a world exclusive premier of his new song, composed in exile and in lockdown with musicians across the world: Zayalay Awin, or “Love Echo.” In this programme you will also hear Mansour’s composition, Kobani, saluting the young fighters who resisted a […] The post Mansour: “The Echo of Love” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Musician and activist, Rahima Mahmut, talks to Refugee Radio about her life in exile and about the persecution of the Uyghur Muslim minority in China’s Xinjiang region. Xinjiang is west of the Great Wall, and was not historically part of China. The residents refer to it as East Turkestan. These days it has become a […] The post Rahima: “Save my people, stop China’s Uyghur genocide” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

Farah is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. She is a member of the Bahá’i Faith from Iran and has lived in the UK for a long time. I have interviewed her about her life a few times in the past and she always has a new story to tell me. In […] The post Farah: “All together like a family” appeared first on Refugee Radio.

A preview of the forthcoming Refugee Week online concert with Best Foot Music, featuring interviews and live performances from Sudanese poet Bashir Al Gamar and Jamal and Alaa from Syria. Please support the fundraiser >> The post Refugee Week 2020 appeared first on Refugee Radio.