Seminar from the series “Flight and Migration”:
In the debate surrounding the so-called "refugee crisis," a growing number of voices are calling for the elimination of the root causes of displacement. This is indeed necessary to offer people a future in their respective countries of origin. However, the focus on the root causes of displacement often falls short and is characterized by selective perception. For example, the war in Syria, with its approximately 300,000 Syrian deaths, is usually recognized as a legitimate reason for seeking refuge. What is often forgotten, however, is that armed conflicts also exist in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Sudan. Furthermore, war not only poses a threat to life but also leads to humanitarian crises, poverty and hunger, and the destruction of habitats. On the other hand, discrimination and persecution, or the consequences of climate change, are denied as valid reasons for displacement.
The seminar "Causes of Flight," from May 23 to 27, 2016, with students from the Louise-Schroeder-School , aimed to highlight the diversity of reasons for flight and countries of origin, and to demonstrate that these causes often overlap, overlap, and reinforce each other. Historical and current global power structures and dependencies were also addressed, along with the question of the shared responsibility of former colonial powers and industrialized European nations for the causes of worldwide refugee and migration movements.
The 53 participants explored various aspects of this highly topical subject in five different workshop groups (audio, rap, two theater performances, and weblog). They utilized the artistic expression of their chosen medium to present their positions, developed through intensive research and lively discussions, on the final day of the seminar in the Theatersaal of the wannseeFORUM.
The audio workshop focused primarily on meat consumption, its impact on the environment and people, and how this can lead to migration and displacement (monocultures, land grabbing). A Skype interview with Francisco Marí, expert on global food security, agricultural trade, and marine policy at Bread for the World. He informed the participants about his organization's work in various countries of the Global South. Furthermore, he criticized what he sees as Germany's contradictory policies: on the one hand, it forwards donations to Bread for the World to implement and support projects such as building self-sufficiency in chicken production in various African countries, while on the other hand, it causes the collapse of local markets in these very same countries through the export of cheap poultry waste. The audio contributions produced by the participants (survey, quiz, interview) can be found at the following link .
began with the question, "Why do people flee?"gained rap group an overview of the diverse reasons and causes for migration. From the exploitation of people from countries in the Global South to the destruction of the livelihoods of African fishermen through overfishing of the waters off their coasts by foreign factory ships, to corrupt governments: the participants' insights from engaging with these topics were subsequently incorporated into the lyrics of their self-written rap song "Do You Know What It's Like?"
You are currently viewing placeholder content from Vimeo. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that this will involve sharing data with third parties.
Theater Group 1 addressed the central theme of "Colonialism as a Historical Cause of Current Refugee Movements" as part of the seminar at the wannseeFORUM. They examined the economic and ideological consequences (racism) of colonialism, as well as the impact of border demarcations in former colonies on current conflicts. The group gained valuable insights through a walking tour of the African Quarter organized by "Berlin Postkolonial" and a telephone conversation with a refugee about his experiences of racism in Germany. The play, "We Are Here Because You Destroyed Our Countries," performed on Friday for an audience, depicted the Berlin Congo Conference of 1884/1885 and the division of Africa among the European colonial powers, as well as the devastating consequences for the people of the African colonies.
Civil war, ethnic persecution, racism, white privilege, and exploitation are some of the themes explored by Theater Group 2 . The participants focused on the countries of the former Yugoslavia, from which people have repeatedly fled to Germany in recent years. In a telephone conversation with Vernesa Berbo, a Serbian-born actress from the GORKI Theater, the participants discussed, among other things, the Serbia-Kosovo War of 1989/1990 and its impact on the populations of these countries, as well as the fact that actors with a migration background are primarily offered stereotypical roles (e.g., cleaning lady, prostitute, etc.) in the German film industry. The participants ultimately decided to bring the controversial historical figure Gavrilo Princip to the stage in their play entitled "From Princip."
What triggers hunger crises? To what extent are power-based economic relationships connected to the people affected by hunger in the countries of the Global South? What solutions exist for combating world hunger? From which countries do politically persecuted people originate today? Which groups were politically persecuted in Germany during the Nazi era? What characterizes religious persecution, and in which countries are people particularly frequently affected? – These and other questions were addressed by the participants of the weblog group , who published their answers on their own blog. They also documented the work and results of the other workshop groups there.
More impressions from the seminar
The seminar was funded by the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Science
and is a collaboration between the wannseeFORUM Foundation and grenzgänger / research & training
The wannseeFORUM Foundation is a recognized sponsor of the Federal Agency for Civic Education.
In the area of “Flight and Migration”, the wannseeFORUM Foundation, in cooperation with grenzgänger / forschung & training, a total of three seminar formats in 2016 (“Flight History(ies)”, “Causes of Flight” and “Arrival and Reception – Questions for the Immigration Society”), each focusing on a different aspect and intended to interest and sensitize Berlin schoolchildren to the topic.