Life in exile My Memories are my Home

Our personal experiences with war refugees may disabuse us Europeans of some illusions, but they’re also bound to reveal strengths and qualities we hardly knew we had. So, however hard this test of our commitment to humanitarian principles may prove, it’s bound to end well, trusts Slovak reporter and photographer Andrej Bán.

Polina Aronson writes about the loss of home on both sides of the border and the sinkhole that the war has created.
 

AI surveillance, drones, iris scanning: fleeing is often perceived as chaotic and confusing, but many states and border protection agencies know exactly who is moving where and when. Lawyer Petra Molnar specialises in technology and migration and sheds light on the techniques used to monitor refugees.

During the Nazi regime, many German artists and intellectuals found refuge in Southern California. The authors Lion Feuchtwanger and Thomas Mann were among the most prominent “exiles in paradise”. Join us on our audio voyage to their former homes in Los Angeles.

Australia's wildlife is unique, but many species are threatened. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) translocation program is successfully fighting for their preservation.

A stitch, a book, a hat — Katie Davis speaks with immigrants about the items that they brought to the U.S. from their home countries and the special meaning that each of these souvenirs holds.

Being forced to live in a foreign country can be perilous and full of challenges. The spatial displacement into unfamiliar surroundings thrusts one into a new culture that may lead to loneliness, lack of self-esteem and even depression. However, are there instances where a life in exile can present new opportunities? Omwa Ombara a political asylee and self-declared feminist, shares her experiences in this interview.
 

One missile that hit the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk in early April had the words “For the children” painted on it in Russian. That message has become a symbol of Russian aggression against the most helpless and vulnerable. 

Can the arts give us comfort in difficult times? Haim Sokol draws people as birds, coming to terms with his turmoil as an artist from Russia.

The author of the text is a journalist from a non-capital Russian city. He was one of the first to be “awarded” foreign agent status. His text describes how the war in Ukraine is perceived by people who have already found themselves in the position of “enemies of the people”.

Defending the environment in a country marked by the predatory exploitation of its population and its resources can be very dangerous. After the violent death of an environmentalist and a journalist in the Amazon, the gravity of the situation has come to public attention, reinforced by the testimonies of those who, fearing reprisals, are forced to leave the country.

Many rivers in Jakarta are heavily polluted, despite being dynamic spaces. A collective of architects, scientists, and activists, came together to turn a bamboo raft into a laboratory, joining citizen science with education and inviting people to listen to rivers. 

Algeria has one official language: Arabic. But French is an integral part of everyday life and Tamazight, a Berber language, is also designated in the constitution as a national and official language. Journalist Nourredine Bessadi takes a look at the emotional discussion about Algeria’s official languages.

What is normal? And what constitutes a normal face? Our brains are constantly analyzing and classifying every face we encounter, and we as people are not alone in this. A whole field of science and technology analyzes these sub-attentive cognitive processes and breaks them down into statistical normalities. Through machine learning, facial recognition is even being used to categorize and predict human behavior.
 

The All-Poland Women's Strike is a movement that has mobilised people from big cities and small towns throughout the country. Co-initiator Marta Lempart explains the social and political changes driven by the strike and why it has turned into an anti-government protest.

South African writer Lindokuhle Nkosi visits the Kronendal Music Academy in Hout Bay, a suburb of Cape Town, which provides musical education for children. In a personal exchange with founder Dwyn Griesel they speak about the hardships of the corona pandemic and the consequences for the children, but also about the healing power of music.