Creating economic and social neighbourhoods across political borders, May 1-2, 2009

Creating economic and social neighbourhoods across political borders, May 1-2, 2009

Session II“Searching for Neighbours in Multicultural

Localities”

Dr. Cassandra Ellerbe-DückUniversity of Southampton

Research Strand 3African Diasporic Networks in German-speaking countries

Networks as ‘Safe Spaces’

Dr. Cassandra Ellerbe-Dueck University of Southampton, U.K 1

African migration to Europe- A Few Facts: • Migration trends from Africa are reflective of the socio-

economic and political dynamics on the continent.

• Conflict, political instability and poverty have prompted cross-border migration within and from Africa.

• The majority of trans-national African migrants remain in neighbouring African states, with a tendency to migrate from other African countries towards West Africa.

• The African continent consists of fifty-three nation states. From 1993 till 2002, twenty-seven of the fifty-three nations were involved in violent conflicts.


African migration to Europe- A Few Facts: • Beginning in the 1990s, Africa underwent an intense socio-Beginning in the 1990s, Africa underwent an intense socio-political upheaval- democratisation process.political upheaval- democratisation process.

•According to the Migration Policy Institute (2007), approximately between 7-8 million irregular African immigrants reside in the EU, and are mostly concentrated in Southern Europe, e.g. Spain and Italy.

•World Bank figures indicate that in 1990 only 6 African World Bank figures indicate that in 1990 only 6 African democratic nations existed.democratic nations existed.

•By the end of 1994 there were only 29 African democracies By the end of 1994 there were only 29 African democracies (Apendijnou 2002).(Apendijnou 2002).


African migration to Germany- A Few Facts:

However, these political transitions were often However, these political transitions were often accompanied by violent conflicts where many Africans accompanied by violent conflicts where many Africans were displaced or fled the continent. It is during this were displaced or fled the continent. It is during this period that we see a modification in the characteristics of period that we see a modification in the characteristics of African migration to Germany. Not only students from African migration to Germany. Not only students from urban areas seeking tertiary education, but also persons urban areas seeking tertiary education, but also persons from rural areas fleeing war, torture and poverty.from rural areas fleeing war, torture and poverty.


Since the 1980s a steady, but increased flow of Sub-Saharan African migrants to Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Migration trajectories of the African diasporic population in these countries are quite diverse.

Stringent immigration legislation and the reinforcement of EU borders (solid/fluid) has made entry for Africans increasingly difficult.

According to the most recent figures from the German Federal According to the most recent figures from the German Federal Statistical Office: 272.376 African immigrants reside permanently Statistical Office: 272.376 African immigrants reside permanently in the Federal Republic of Germany (in the Federal Republic of Germany (Statistisches BundesamtStatistisches Bundesamt 2006).2006).

African migration to German-speaking Countries A Few Facts:


African migration to Germany- A Few Facts:

The African diasporic presence in countries such as The African diasporic presence in countries such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland is not new. However, Germany, Austria and Switzerland is not new. However, this connection still awaits entry into Europe’s collective this connection still awaits entry into Europe’s collective memory and cultural archive ( Golden 2004).memory and cultural archive ( Golden 2004).

The Black experience within the German-speaking world The Black experience within the German-speaking world has been mostly one where Blackness signifies has been mostly one where Blackness signifies “otherness” and “non-belonging”“otherness” and “non-belonging”


The are still many “hidden histories“ regarding the trajectory of Black Europeans.

It is estimated that approximately eighteen million Europeans are of African diasporic heritage.

However there are no reliable statistical data on the exact numbers of Black persons without a migrant background in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Black European Studies website:http://www.best.uni-mainz.de/modules/Informationen/index.php?id=13


The Impact of physical and mental Borders

Myths concerning identity, nationalism and citizenship constitute the building blocks for Fortress Europe. Racialised ethnic minorities and migrant citizens in the ‘New Europe’ have become increasingly under fire from political parties advocating anti-immigration legislation and racist positions. In particular individuals socially constructed as Black regardless of their legal status, have continuously become the targets of hate crimes and racial profiling.


The Need for ‘Safe Spaces”

Unlike in the urban metropolis of many former European colonial powers, larger local Black neighbourhoods in German-speaking countries are virtually non-existent. Faced with marginalisation, exclusion, and the threat of racist attacks in these countries, African-descended individuals have sought spaces of ‘safety’ that provide both retreat and refuge from an environment often experienced as hostile, and an activity space for alliance building.


Theorisation of “safe space”

Subaltern groups have always sought “free” or “safe spaces” for retreat and refuge, but what are they exactly?

Francesca Polletta summarises the concept of “free spaces”. However, I have chosen to utilise the term “safe spaces” in my research:

“ Free spaces” are small scale settings within a community or movement that are removed from the direct control of dominant groups, are voluntarily participated in, and generate the cultural challenge that precedes or accompanies political mobilisation”.

Francesca Polletta (1999:1)


Individuals of African or African diasporic heritage have diverse trajectories. Some are directly linked to migration others are not, e.g. Black/Afro-Germans.

My ethnographic data indicates that these webs constitute spheres of safety, where this marginalized yet highly visible minority population can withdraw in order to strategise for mobilisation and find solutions for dealing with the multiple challenges encountered in the German-speaking world.

African Diasporic Networks: Creating ‘Safe Spaces’

Linking African diasporic networks to the concept of “safe spaces”


Moreover, these networks provide not only a space for activist activity and mobilisation, but they also create a space where persons of the African Diaspora can remove themselves from the dominant gaze and control of the societies in which they live, and simply just “be”.

African Diasporic Networks:Creating ‘Safe Spaces’


The terms Black neighbourhood and “safe spaces” are by no means synonymous for the safety and wellbeing of Black individuals. I use the term Black neighbourhoods in a descriptive manner to illustrate the fact that in German and Austrian cities or small towns, Black entrepreneurs, service providers (e.g. hair/skin care shops) places of worship along with Black residents concentrated in one specific area are non- existent.



While many Blacks who self-identify as either German, Austrian and Swiss do not view themselves as immigrants, it is the common experience of racial positioning, racism(s), marginalisation and exclusion that prompt these groups to form strategic alliances with individuals of the African Diaspora with a migrant status. Thus, the research showed that the networks of African or Black individuals are not to be seen as disparate webs, separate from those of the Black German/Black Austrian community. Instead one could refer to or view these networks as inextricable webs of associational ties rooted in socio-cultural interests or political concerns.



Networks Researched

AASAB – Bayreuth

Afro-Kid e.V.- Nuremberg

African Youth Foundation – Bonn

Black European Woman’s Council (AFRA)-Vienna

Forum e.V. - Bad Honnef/Berlin

Afrika Academy Sport - Munich

Afrika Herz e.V. - BerlinDr. Cassandra Ellerbe-Dueck University of

Southampton, U.K 15

Networks Researched

AASAB (Verein der afrikanischen Studierenden und Afrika Interessierten in Bayreuth. Location Bayreuth: Established in 1994, AASA serves as a bridge between African students from various countries on the continent and white Germans interested in Africa, thus creating a space for dialogue and interaction. For more detailed information

see: http://www.aasab.uni-bayreuth.deAfro-Kid e.V.- Nuremberg: Since March 2007, Afro-Kid e.V functions as a contact point and integration assistance for African descended as well as white German parents of African descended children. The organization also advocates intercultural understanding and German-African friendship. See: http://www.afrokidev.de .


Networks Researched

.

Academy Africa Sports – Munich: The Academy Africa Sports is a soccer team founded in 2002 and is composed of pan-African (former and current) asylum seekers from countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Congo, Angola and Tanzania. See: http://www.academyafricasport.org

Black European Woman’s Council (AFRA)-Vienna: Created in 2007. The network deals specifically with the intersecting issues of gender, race and migration. Provides a platform for Black European women to lobby and prompt national institutions to include individuals of African descent in the elaboration and implementation of national plans to combat racism, discrimination and strive for equality in local, national and EU level politics. See: www.blackwomencenter.org


Networks Researched

.African Youth Foundation – Bonn: A non-profit organization founded in 2000 in Bonn, Germany to aid African descended youth in the Diaspora, and to encourage German-African entrepreneurial projects. See: http://www.ayf.de

Forum e.V.- (Forum Moçambique) Bad Honnef/Berlin: Support network established in 2004 to assist in better integration of Mozambican migrants and supports business opportunities between Germany and Mozambique.


Networks Researched

.

Afrika Herz e.V. – Berlin: Created in 1998, Afrika Herz became the first African organization (started by African women) to work on the issue of HIV prevention and awareness on behalf of African migrants. See: http://www.via-in-berlin.de


Extension of the Networks Researched

Bayreuth Vienna

Berlin

Bonn

Frankfurt am Main

DortmundFrance

Greece

USASweden

South Africa

Scotland

Nigeria

MaliBenin

Ivory Coast

Bad Honnef

DuisburgMunich

Erlangen

Nuremberg


From September 2007 till October 2008, I travelled throughout Germany and crossed the border into Austria in order to conduct participant-observation and a total of forty semi-structured and recorded ethnographic interviews along with numerous informal conversations with members of seven different networks. Twenty female and twenty male informants along with between five to eight follow up conversations equally distributed between the genders, constitute the core of my ethnographic data.

The following preliminary findings are based upon these in depth ethnographic interviews and subsequent follow-up formal and informal conversations. Here, I list a few of the issues and challenges that surfaced consistently in the empirical data:

Ethnographic Point of Departure:


1. An increase in hate violence and random attacks (verbal and physical) since the fall of the Iron Curtain.

2. Dissatisfaction with negative media depictions of Africa and Africans/Blacks.

3. Experiences of racism (which is always gendered) and glass-ceiling phenomenon in the labour market (particularly for individuals with advanced degrees) and discrimination in the search for adequate and affordable the housing.

4. Concern for the future of African/Black diasporic youth regarding education and equal access to employment opportunities.

Pertinent Issues and Challenges Facing African/Black Communities


5. Lack of acknowledgement of the various migration trajectories and the diversity of Africa, its Diaspora and the richness of African/Black cultures.

6. Lack of local and EU policies designed to deal with the collective fate and specific of African migrants .

7. Feelings of rejections, marginalisation and being perceived as “not belonging” to the socio-political context of Germany/Europe. Africans/ Blacks are often rendered as invisible subjects across the European space.

8. Lack of visibility and sufficient participation of African/Black diasporic individuals in local, national and EU level politics

Pertinent Issues and Challenges Facing African/Black Communities


The Issue of Gender

While in the process of mapping out the nodes; making contact with key informants, the gender imbalance became evident. Black males dominated nearly all of the politically active African diasporic-led organisations/ networks. Thus, gender based political mobilisation took on a new dimension in the research.


Gender and African/Black Women in German-Speaking Countries

The following issues were mentioned by the informants:

Identity, self-Empowerment and facing sexism within their own communities, e.g. how can African/Black women empower themselves when they often don’t feel recognised as full-fledged members of the society in which they reside.

Challenges faced by Black children and youth, e.g. limited upward mobility in education, which leads to greater employment possibilities.

Psychosocial issues caused by exposure to gendered forms of every day racism, e.g. Africans/Black subjects often find themselves in an absolute state of ‘Otherness” in relation to white subjects. Moreover, this group must often justify its presence in an “imagined” white space.


Gender and African/Black Women in German-Speaking Countries

Qualification and access to the labour market, e.g. several of the highly qualified respondents could not find employment that corresponded to their levels of education. Precarious employment conditions

Political participation: local, national and EU political structures have very few females politicians, and women of colour comprise an additional layer of this under-represented group.


Mobilising Black Women in Europe

The politicised mobilisation of Black women in Europe is not a new phenomenon. Black women began organising in several European countries during the late 1970s. Many of these organisations were cross-ethnic and transnational European coalitions:

Brixton Black Women’s Group ( 1970s) - U.K.Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent: OWAAD (1978) - U.K.Zami : (1980s) - NetherlandsSister Outsider (1980s) - NetherlandsBlack German and Black Women in Germany ADEFRA (1986)European Black Women’s Network (1991)Tiye (1994) - Netherlands


Mobilising Black Women in Europe

However, the majority of these groups were established in European countries with a colonial and post-colonial migration history from Africa.

The establishment of ADEFRA (Afro/Black-German and Black Women in Germany) gave the impetus for consciousness raising and politicised mobilisation among Blacks in Germany.

The establishment of the Black European’s Women’s Council points to a shift in the node of Black Women’s organisations in Europe.


Photos by Cassandra Ellerbe-Dück

Creating a Space for Creating a Space for EmpowermentEmpowerment

Case Study: The Black European Women’s Council



Black European female activists (Béatrice Achaleke) from AFRA (International Centre for Black Women’s Perspectives), Vienna, Austria and Hellen Felter from Tiye International (NGO of 21 Black, Migrant and Refugee women in The Netherlands ) decided to seize the moment of the EU’s “European Year of Equal Opportunities for All” and host a conference to address the issues and concerns faced by Black women living in Europe.

The Black European Congress (27-29.9.08) brought together more than 100 Black women from 16 EU Member States and also included Switzerland.

The conference culminated in the drafting of the BEWC’s Vienna Declaration, and the creation of the Black European Women’s Council.

The BEWC was officially launched at the European Economic and Social Committee building in Brussels, Belgium on 9 September 2009.


Creating a Space for Creating a Space for EmpowermentEmpowerment

Dr. Cassandra Ellerbe-Dueck University of Southampton, U.K

“Space means a voice, which means power […] (C)reate, claim and keep safe spaces for Black women and be your Sister’s keeper”.

Zeedah Meierhofer –Mangeli, Director of the Resource Centre for Black Women, Zurich, Switzerland and BEWC member

31

Photos from the BEWC website

“The BEWC has been defined as a vehicle for the recognition and the visibility of Black Women in Europe, through which

they can reach their optimum potential.”



Launch of the Black European Women’s Council9 September 2009 at the EESC in Brussels, Belgium



General Assembly Meeting and election of BoardMember 9-10 April 2009 in Utrecht-Soesterberg,The Netherlands


Photos by Cassandra Ellerbe-Dück and from BEWC website

General Assembly Meeting and election of BoardMember 9-10 April 2009 in Utrecht-Soesterberg,The Netherlands


Aims and Objectives of the BEWC

To promote leadership among Black women in society

To influence national, European and international policies and to raise awareness on the intersection of race and gender issues among important sectors of opinion in Europe with the objective of empowering Black women - economically, socially, politically and culturally - nationally and worldwide

To combat all forms of discrimination and violence against Black women and their families and to ensure full access for all Black women to their human rights through their active involvement in society as well as policy development and implementation


Aims and Objectives of the BEWC

To facilitate the efforts of Black women, their non-governmental organisations and other bodies to advocate the rights of all individuals, and to fully utilise the International Human Rights instruments and the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights for achieving protection and advancement of Black women.

To facilitate the exchange of information between member organisations concerning European developments relating to the above-mentioned issues.

To promote democracy, international solidarity and co-operation.

To provide regular input on all areas of EU policy development and implementation that have an impact on Black women’s lives and on the promotion of cultural diversity.


How are these aims and objectives to be achieved?A few strategies:

EU partnerships, e.g. after the BEWC is firmly established in Brussels, the council seeks to collaborate with other under-represented women’s groups networks/organisations.

Function as an umbrella organisation and strengthen Black European Women’s Organisations in countries such as: Ireland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Finland etc.

Website, media presence and building advocacy : see http://www.bewnet.eu/


How are these aims and objectives to be achieved?A few strategies:

Develop programmes to access and lobby for funding on national and EU levels.

Promote political participation of Black women in European politics.

Utilise the Lisbon Strategy as a platform for socio-economic and political advancement of Black Europeans.

Build alliances beyond European borders e.g. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission in Washington, D.C.).


Extension of the BEWC inGerman-speaking countries


Conclusions:

Networks provide African diasporic groups with spaces of refuge and a sense of safety.

May function as replicas of their respective communities of origin, thus recreating a “back home” feeling.

The networks are not exclusively African. Instead in certain cases serve as spheres of encounter and interaction between whites and individuals from the African Diaspora, e.g. AASAB.

The networks are often formed along linguistic and ethnic lines, but are in many cases, due to necessity, are mostly Pan-African.


Conclusions:

Offer contact points and invaluable information for new arrivals, and assistance to long-time residents.

In the case of the (BEWC), this network serves not only as a self-defined “safe space” but is also seen as instrumental for the articulation of Black women’s needs, (intersections of gender and race) concerns for their communities, and political leverage across Europe.


Bibliography:

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Bibliography:

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Bibliography:

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Creating economic and social neighbourhoods across political borders, May 1-2, 2009

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