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 journey from Eritrea to California. You can follow Senait on Instagram and Facebook Yo...

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, Abdelrahman talks to Refugee Radio about how he learnt to survive in his new life as a po...

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: https://bestfootmusic.bandcamp.com/album/bashir-al-gamar You can also listen to...

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 that supports people who have been persecuted and imprisoned to settle in their n...

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 about his experiences, the question of “human rights” and about his hop...

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, across Russia and through Europe, with the UK as their ultimate destination. Travelling...

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 of a new anthology entitled Resistance- Voices of Exiled Writers,...

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 and psychology but due to the censorship and lack of freedom of expres...

Paul talks about the recent political violence back home in Uganda and the election struggle of reggae singer Bobi Wine.

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 siege of their city by ISIS in 2014.

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 police state of checkpoints and futuristic surveillance, while anywhere between one...

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 this recording, our discussion covers the evolution of the BME community in Brighton and the life of Táhirih, a Persian feminist and poet of the 19 th...

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 >>

Kumar talks about the horrific persecution he faced as a gay man growing up in India and his desperate search for somewhere that would accept him. “The main thing in England is that homosexuality is legal. I can freely live openly with my sexuality. I have no need to hide and no need to be scared. My childhood friend he told me if you go England you can live safely there. After I had been here for...

Steve and Ayah talk to David Miliband about the International Rescue Committee and their work with refugees around the world.