Migration 11

For months, German media commented extensively on developments and events relating to the refugee issue. Most of these commentators were white journalists, politicians, migration researchers, or volunteers. The voices of refugees always sounded more of a marginal note. In the rare cases in which they were allowed to have their say, they were only given a few lines or, at best, seconds. In narratives about them, refugees serve primarily to affirm majority society’s consensus about them. They are not narrators, but objects in the story which is being told.

Sinthujan Varatharajah (2015): Das Selbstgespräch brechen: Perspektiven auf Asyl von ehemaligen Geflüchteten.

Sinthujan Varatharajah (born 1985) is a political geographer based in Berlin.

In 2015, refugee and migrant movements to Europe reached a peak. The borders remained closed, which led to the deaths of countless people on the dangerous routes of the Mediterranean and in transit countries. Movements from below were formed, which self-organised to provide support at sea, in countries of origin, transit and arrival. Those participating in them included migrant organisations, NGOs, volunteers, church members, doctors and journalists. The strict border regime policy experienced a historic rupture when Angela Merkel briefly opened the borders. The refugee issue became very prominent in the media. In this context, Sinthujan Varatharajah made the charge that the focus was on white people and that the voices of refugees were rarely heard.

Sinthujan Varatharajah (2014): The Walls the West Won’t Tear Down.

2015