(post by Ronald Luyera; video-link of the speech is here)

Speech given on Africa Day 2024 (25 May) – organized by Dar al Yasmin in the Wijkfabriek Nijmegen.

My names are Ronald Luyera, A social Worker, population and health scientist, HRD, and programme analyst.

I would like to acknowledge the presence of the various dignitaries present here today; representatives from various organisations, HAN students, Dutch community, refugees, and everybody in their capacities.

Quote: Words of the great son of African Soil: Nkwame Nkrumah: “We are not Africans because we are born in Africa, but because Africa is born in us,”

This Africa Day; a day where we remember the founding of the African union. It is significant for celebrating the unity, diversity, African culture, and achievements of African countries.

We have many African countries represented here; Sierra Leone, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Malawi, Liberia, Libya. The Netherlands! And finally all of us present here today! WAHALA!!!!

CHALLENGES OF AFRICA; We are all conversant with the problems happening on the African continent;

• Lack of democracy.
• Gender based violence
• Corruption
• Discrimination based on religion- sexual orientation etc
• Human rights violations
• Political persecution, arrests, torture, killings etc

WHAT DOES THE AFRICAN DAY MEAN TO ME? 3 THINGS

Preserving or cultural heritage;

Rich and diverse cultures of Africa with many languages, tribes, traditions, arts, norms, food. The beauty and the uniqueness of our culture.

It is important for us to promote and preserve our culture even when we are in diaspora. Preserving our African culture is important for us to diversify and become more inclusive to other cultures.  With the saying that “charity begins at home”

When we blend in the different cultures, it will lead to mutual understanding and respect.

Inspiring creativity and hope

We can draw on our skills and talents; it can take all forms of music, art, literature, painting, sports etc. let us embrace our and apply our talents, as creativity is powerful for personal and community development.

We have successful African entrepreneurs, scientists and artists- can act as our role models. Such as Dangote.

Refugee/ LGBT rights

Legal barriers: As you are aware majority of African countries are not tolerant to the LGBT. We all acknowledge that there are legal barriers faced by the LGBT.

It is important to include and protect the LGBT rights. Within the African communities and beyond.

In Uganda for example if you are found guilty for being LGBT, the maximum sentence is death, or 20 years in prison.  All LGBT organizations closed and their resources freezed. You can rent a house, you cannot operate a business.

Social barriers; many African communities are homophobic. Which homophobia was originally imported from the west by the colonialists and religion. In my country, if you are LGBT means you keep in closet. I AM AN LGBT INDIVIDUAL. I feel safe, protected and free, to be who I am. And after phases of trauma, I am becoming more empowered and am getting out of the HIDING. Let us come out of the shell to our true selves/identities. The Netherlands government will support us and give us a fair hearing. The community is already supportive.

CHALLENGES AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM; true as refugees, we are faced with challenges here;

• Adopting to new culture
• Learning a new language
• Overcoming trauma

 We need to be resilient and support one another- team work.

• If there is an activity where we are invites, let us go and participate.
• We can make useful contribution to the society- Waseem will share with us how he is using his painting to benefit the homeless in the Netherlands.

ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT: we need support for greater advocacy and support for the LGBT rights both in Africa and globally. Support from organisations, the Netherlands government, from the EU, the UNCHR. I would like to thank the Netherlands government and the organisations, the communities here for the protection, the safety, the rights that we are enjoying here.

Conclusion.

The future is bright – where cultural diversity is celebrated, all individuals are respected and valued.

Take pride in your African Heritage while embracing your new lives in the Netherlands.

Advocate for policies and practices that promote equality and human rights, including refugees and LGBT rights.

There is an African proverb; “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African proverb

Ronald Luyera is social worker and co-worker at Dar al Yasmin foundation.

(post by Marieke Helmus; photo: Ibtehal and her son)

Marieke is impressed
Iftar, 29 March, annex of the St. Anthony of Padua Church, City Centre, Nijmegen

This atmospheric evening remains engraved in my memory by the enormous turnout of newcomers and the very enthusiastic efforts of everyone who contributed to this evening.

What a whoppers these are:
Chef Amr al Bokaie and his team, who cook a delicious meal for a hundred people.

Ibtehal Al-dholay, who previously worked as a TV presenter in Yemen, talks about the goal of the evening: ‘Connecting and strengthening each other’s well-being and health together.’ Her daughter, Tamar, takes her role as a nanny very seriously.

Feras Faysal, an international health specialist and pharmacist, is the coordinator of the evening. He works with my colleague Katrien Pouls.

Artist Mohamed Yousry and colleague Abdelrahman get the whole room in cheerful interaction with their quick passing on drawing assignment.

Mohammed and Raslan enrapture the audience with Islamic Nasheed and traditional Arabic songs.

Ronald, a social worker and living in the asylum seekers’ centre, helped to realise this large turnout through app groups and personal invitations.

The Iftar is organized by the Dar al Yasmin – Huis van Jasmijn, #groengezondeninbewegingnijmegen and Pharos foundation. Corné van Iersel, who founded the foundation together with Basima, tells the audience that it is an organization of and for newcomers who want to find their way in Nijmegen. Many newcomers give workshops and lessons to each other from this foundation. I have been working with Dar al Yasmin for four months to see if we can intertwine their offer on well-being and our offer on quitting smoking.

When the fast is broken, attendees give their opinions in different languages on what they need to reduce stress and improve their well-being. I tell the audience that I like to talk about smoking and stress. When I say that by smoking I also mean Shisha, Snuss and Vape, a laugh rolls through the room. Quite a few people come by for a good conversation.

My message: there is an enormous talent among refugees and status holders, who if they are given the space and resources can very well contribute to well-being and healthy living themselves.

Thanks for the beautiful photos, Luc Satter.

Marieke Helmus is the creator of the #Rookvrije Neighbourhood Approach by #Pharos and #GGDGHORNederland. She reports on an irregular basis about her encounters with #rookvrijewijkaanpakkers throughout the Netherlands. She is actively involved in the approach in various asylum seekers’ centres in Nijmegen.

What reasons do you have for getting out of bed in the morning?
Maybe you have obligations, such as a job. Or children; hopefully they are a reason to wake up with a smile. Perhaps the best reason is lust for life.

What about when all these reasons are missing? Or what if it doesn’t really matter what you do? Then it is good to pick yourself up and pick up your life. That is not so easy when the life you were used to leading no longer exists. When you are new to a country, when you know few people, have no network, no fixed habits.

We want to support newcomers, and especially refugees, in starting their lives. And feeling better about themselves.
We do this in different ways. By organizing and offering activities, for example creative workshops and yoga. And by providing information and tips on how to create a positive mindset or feel better about yourself.

We are also happy to offer newcomers a place as a volunteer. Because we believe that giving to others, being part of a community, and a sense of belonging are important to feel good. It’s nice to have a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

We have written about it before: if you want to work for your dream, you can join MASTERS Education.

This institution offers online education and personal guidance. There is also live (classroom) education for people closer to home.

We focus specifically on newcomers and our education is adapted accordingly. We have four learning routes: MASTERS, languages, entrepreneurship and personal development. And the great thing is: most teachers are also newcomers. They are therefore experts in finding your way in Europe.

In this article we would like to provide an explanation of the MASTERS learning concept. MASTERS is an abbreviation that stands for:

M – mathematics
A – arts
S – sciences
T – technology (and engineering)
E – earth matters
R – reflection
S – storytelling

The disciplines of the first 5 letters not only offer you support in finding a future, but the knowledge of those subjects is also very internationally oriented. If you like it, you can easily get in as a newcomer.

Because most newcomers have experienced quite a bit, we don’t want to limit it to lessons about technology, etc. That is too much at a distance. We want to create personal connections in our education. That is why we also pay a lot of attention to reflection (= the way in) and storytelling (= the way from inside to outside).