Invitation to the 25 Years Anniversary of The VOICE Refugee Forum
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A quarter of a century of breaking isolation in Germany -
Jena, 6th and 7th December 2019
Announcement and Invitation to Press Meeting
Saturday, 7th December 2019
14.30 h: RefugeeBlackBox Press Meeting with Refugees and Migrants political community activists in the Holzmarkt-Tent:
„25 Activists from Different Cities“ in the name of the 25 Years of Refugee Struggle in Germany:
16:00 h: Demo with Parade:
RefugeeBlackBox Parade – Continuing to Break the Deportation Culture
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In 2019 The VOICE Refugee Forum is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Jena. We are celebrating the history of 25years of self-organized, self-empowered, tireless and inspiring refugee activism in Germany. Our consistent message and principled position of justice, equality, freedom of movement, solidarity, unmasking colonial continuities and breaking the deportation chain in Germany has been an inspiration to many other refugee groups and individuals in Germany and beyond for the last two and a half decades.
The result of our relentless focus on refugee community networking and solidarity with different activities in Jena and many other cities is evident in the breadth of refugee resistance all over the country. From Baden Württenberg to Bayern, from Hamburg to Sachsen, from Thuringen to Berlin and Bremen amongst others, these blocks of refugee resistance continue to draw inspiration from The VOICE as refugees continue to empower themselves to resist the continued cruelty and inhumanity that defines the German asylum system. The continuity of our struggles and the inspiration that others draw from our unwavering commitment is a testament to the legacies of The VOICE Refugee Forum which are worth celebrating 25years on.
25 years of The VOICE Refugee Forum means 25 years of self-organization of autonomous refugee struggles: It means unrelentless struggle against deportation, social isolation, refugee lager, criminalization, residenzpflicht (restriction of refugee movement), police brutality, family separation, political prisoners colonial injustice and the total rejection of paternalism. This has been a struggle based on SOLIDARITY – solidarity not only between refugees but also allies who reflect enough on their engagement with us to understand our principled positions. Yes, it is 25 years of solidarity, refugee autonomy, community and structural organization, consistent and active resistance against camps, manifestations, protest and the enduring fight for freedom of movement and self-determination.
Since 1998 we had a common struggle with the Caravan-for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants, in 2017 the RefugeeBlackBox was created as the heritage of the struggle of The VOICE Refugee Forum and the Caravan-for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants. Since then, refugees nationwide have taken to the concepts and ideas of the RefugeeBlackBox to deconstruct, unmask and unravel the sheer inhumanity of the European border regime championed by Germany, the cruel and callous asylum system in Germany that is a mockery of international protection for those seeking refuge, the barbarity of police brutality, and the endemic institutional and societal racism that is pervasive in Germany. Yes, 25 years of The VOICE means half a century of impact on the political culture in Germany.
The fight against deportation had always been at the center of The VOICE‘s political activism. Our 25 years of unwavering commitment to breaking the culture of deportation in Germany had many importants steps:
The VOICE and The Caravan congress*Unite Against Deportation and Social Exclusion (2000)
The initiation of the concept of „Deportation is the last ring of the slavery chain“ and the Break Deportation Culture
(2014)
The Break Deportation and Isolation network in Thuringen
The initiation of the RefugeeBlackBox - Solidarity (2017)
„The #VOICERefugeeForum at 25: 25 years is not 25 secs, mins, hours, days, weeks or months! It is a quarter of a century, a generation and in this time, we changed Germany and gave the Refugees not only a VOICE but a place in this society. Celebrate with us “ (Dr .Mbolo M. Yufanyi)
Celebrating the 25 Years of The VOICE on 6th /7th December in Jena - Overview of the Program
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Arrival from 20.00 h – 22.00 h:
Meeting point and discussion in Friedrich-Schiller-Universität FSU Jena, Carl-Zeiss-Straße 3/Campus Ernst-Abbe-Platz, Seminarraum 309)
Friday, December 6, 2019 from 10:00h
Holzmarkt: RefugeeBlackBox Installation Tent on Holzmarkt Jena, Cultural Program
University ( Seminar Room 3rd Floor 309): The VOICE Symposium on Refugee Grassroots Community and the Struggle against Colonial Injustice - with presentations, conferences and workshops on:
- The struggle against deportation and isolation
- Exile political activism
- The fight against the restriction of freedom of movement / restriction and deportation prisons
- Oury-Jalloh-campaign and police brutality in Germany
- Community engagement: the autonomy of self-determination
- The struggle against family separation
- Autonomy and decentralization of the RefugeeBlackBox Installations
- Exchange and documentation of the present situation of refugees
- Identity politics of the oppressed: The Refugee/Migrants community struggle against sexual abuses/strenghtening a safe place for the women revolution without discrimination.
- Empowering the refugee struggle:
FightBack! Organize, Disrupt, Disobey against (the regulated Dublin) - deportations of refugees from Germany!
- The challenge to empower the grassroots/refugee community "Assembly" in Germany
Saturday, December 7, 2019 from 10.00 h
University (Seminar Room, 3rd Floor, 309): Testimonies and inputs on The Struggle of The VOICE Refugee Forum
Holzmarkt Permanent RBB Installation Tent in Holzmarkt
14.30 h Press Meeting in the RefugeeBlackBox with Refugees and Migrants activists in the HolzMarkt Tent. „25 Activists from Different Cities“ representing the 25 Years of Struggle: Our Struggle has names! Activists from Wuppertal, Hamburg, Berlin, Gotha, Brandenburg, Bremen, Düsseldorf and Köln.
16:00 h: Demo and Presentation | RefugeeBlackBox Paradee, Gyration performance
RefugeeBlackBox parade against the Deportation Crimes and against Colonial Racism of Europe
After Music | Gyration and Performance on Holzmarkt
Venues: Holzmarkt and Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Carl-Zeiß-Straße 3/Campus Ernst-Abbe-Platz, Seminar Room 3rd Floor, 309)
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The VOICE Refugee Forum, Schillergässchen 5, 07745 Jena, Tel.: + 49 (0) 176 24568988 (Whatsapp), E- mail: thevoiceforum@gmx.de, Thevoiceforum.org
https://www.facebook.com/RefugeeBlackBox/