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Information compiled for the production of the first radio broadcast of BORDERS, produced by Aitor Sáez. A program about Migration and Refugee issues. This first edition was about AFGHANISTAN. Every Thursday at 16pm on Rodon 95FM, Serres, Greece. You can listen all the broadcasts in: http://www.aitorsaez.com/#!radio-borders/c1zyc
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Afghanistan
BROADCAST 01: BordersAuthor: Aitor Sáez
Report Refugee Issues
Listen Broadcast
Published:Rodon 95FM / www.rodonfm.net
www.aitorsaez.com / [email protected] Serres, GREECE, 06/11/2014
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
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AFGHANISTAN
Report: Refugee issues
Broadcast 01. Borders. Aitor Sáez. 06/11/2014
Editorial
“The part or edge of a surface that forms its outer boundary”. “The line that separates
one political or geographical area”. These are the definitions of ‘border’, given by the
British Dictionary. The term entered in English vocabulary through Old French, dating
back to 13th century.
From then on this ‘lines’ provoked the most dramatic events on the History of the
Humanity. The creation of borders reveals our inability to live together, and also the
greed, perhaps an inherent condition of the human being.
From these borders come wars. And from these conflicts come refugees, ‘ones fleeing
home’. The term ‘refugee’ was applied in this sense to civilians in Flanders heading
west to escape fighting in World War I. Currently, according to the United Nations,
there are more than 50 million refugees around the world.
As it can be observed, the Humanity improves the language and updates the
vocabulary. Nevertheless, we are unable to solve certain issues. In addition, the most
worrying fact is the historical contradictions. The same first European refugees are
now putting limits to other refugees. It is particularly worrying to forget our past and
especially our human condition.
We are here in front of the microphones, in front of the speakers, to face a challenge:
break the borders. Our wish will be to put different cultures and people at the same
level. Just on that moment we could understand better each other.
I am Aitor Sáez, that’s Rodon FM, and you are listening the first broadcast of ‘Borders’.
Welcome!
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
Statistics
First and foremost, said that Afghanistan has a population of 26 million. It is also important to
clarify that it is very difficult to make estimations about the migration issues. For that reason,
we are going to use different sources.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, Afghanistan is the first country of origin for
refugees, with 2.56 million1. A study of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in 2009,
found that three in four Afghans (76%) have experienced forced displacement at some point in
their lifetime, many repeatedly.
Displacements on the last decades2
Phase 1 (1978–1988): Mujahidin against Soviet-backed communist government; provokes the refugee
displacement with some internal displacement post-1983.
Phase 2 (1989–1995): Soviet occupation and civil war; initial large-scale return followed by renewed
displacement.
Phase 3 (1996–2001): Taliban rule; hesitant return and renewed refugee displacement; internal
displacement due to drought.
Phase 4 (2001–2002): Post-11th September. United States occupation and renewed displacement
(external and internal).
Phase 5 (2002–2004): Rapid and large-scale return under new government and the rise of secondary
displacement.
Phase 6 (2004 till present): Deterioration of security and growing internal displacement.
Number Afghan Refugees (1979-2007). Nyheter for aktivister.
1Afghan Refugees, 2012. Costs of War. http://costsofwar.org/article/afghan-refugees 2Helpful Facts & Figures. Refugees International. http://www.refugeesinternational.org/get-
involved/helpful-facts-%2526-figures
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
UNHCR Previsions3
The year 2014 was a key transition year for Afghanistan, with the presidential elections
planned in April 2014 and the withdrawal of international security forces scheduled for the end
of the year. There is broad international consensus that assistance for institution-building will
continue to be needed during the transition period.
In this context, Afghanistan's security situation is likely to remain complex. The number of
internally displaced people (IDPs) is currently estimated at some 600,000 and this figure may
rise further in 2014.
Key Findings4
• As of 2012, there remained 1.8 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan
• There are an estimated 6 hundred thousand Internal Displaced Persons in Afghanistan
• Many IDPs and return refugees, unable to resettle in their place of origin, live in informal
settlements in Kabul and other cities
• Over half of all Afghans don’t have clean water and 63 percent lack effective sanitation
• One third of Afghans survive on less than $1 a day
• Another third of the population is ranked just above this extreme poverty marker
• Afghanistan has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world
• Afghanistan has the highest rates of under-5 mortality in Asia, with levels comparable to
other countries experiencing prolonged crises, such as Somalia and the Democratic Republic of
the Congo
• There are an average of 55 health personnel—including doctors and nurses—for every
10,000 inhabitants
3 Regional Operations Profile, Afghanistan, 2014. UNHCR. http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e486eb6.html 4 Afghanistan Data. The World Bank. http://data.worldbank.org/country/afghanistan
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
Major source countries of refugees (end 2012). United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
Afghan Refugees in other countries (2010). UNHCR.
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
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Situation in Greece
Afghanistan portrays the first country of asylum seekers, 680, a 16% of the total. We must
detail that this low rate is because most of the Afghan refugees want to ask for asylum in other
European country. However, for them Greece is the only gateway to Europe.
In the official registers are only around 1.000 Afghans in Greece5. That definitely doesn’t
correspond to the reality. Most of them have forced to live as illegal.
In 2013, the number of arrested Afghans was almost 6 thousand, the third largest group6.
Refugees and Asylum seekers residing and originating in Greece (January 2014). UNHCR.
However, just with numbers, we cannot understand the drama that most of the refugees have
to face in Europe, especially in Greece. Here, we have the testimony of a young Afghan living in
Athens. The video was recorded secretly by the journalist and also refugee Basir Ahang.
Testimony of a young Afghan refugee, 19, Athens
5 Regional Operations Profile, Greece, 2014. UNHCR. http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e48e726.html 6 ‘Numbers of arrested migrants/refugees in Greece decrease by 46,2%’. February 2014. Kathimerini. http://www.kathimerini.com.cy/index.php?pageaction=kat&modid=1&artid=161745
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
Listen
Listen
Following, the Spanish journalist Francisco Sánchez, talking with Mohammed, a sixteen years
old Afghan, living in the Refugees Centre for Minors in Volos. The camp is coordinated by the
Red Cross and funded by the European Union.
Interview. Mohammed S.,17, Afghan
Refugee Centre for Minors, Volos, Greece
The Expert
Mr. Muhammadi Yonous (Afghanistan) is President of the Greek Forum of Refugees in Athens
from 2007. He studied Medicine between 1992 and 1998 in a Medical College of Kabul. In
Greece, he became expert as Adviser for refugees and asylum seekers. On his professional
tasks, Mr Yonous gives psychosocial rehabilitation for refugees. Because of his career as
Consultant for this community, he participated in a large number of seminars by collaborating
with UNHCR Athens, ECRE, ICMC, GCR and PRAXIS. He is one of the references for the Afghan
refugees in Greece, especially in Athens.
Interview. Muhammadi Yonous,
President Greek Forum of Refugees, Athens
Greek Forum for Refugees
CONTACT
9-13 Gravias Street,
10678 – Athens, Greece
Contact Person: Muhammadi Yonous
Tel: (+30) 2130282976 / Cel: (+30) 6948408928
Email: [email protected]
Blog: http://refugeegr.blogspot.gr/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Greekforumofrefugees
Twitter: @refugeegr
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
Description7
The Greek Forum of Refugees is a multinational network. The founding members are: the
Afghan Migrants & Refugees Community in Greece (AMRCG), the Association of Sudanese
Refugees in Greece (ASRG), the Society of Somalia in Greece (SSG) and the Greek Forum of
Migrants (GFM). Members of GFR can be any groups of refugees, organized in a formal or
informal way.
GFR's main goal is to create a viable network that will unite all refugees living in Greece
through a joint course of action. GFR aims to provide assistance to refugees during the asylum
procedure, to protect their rights and help their integration in the Greek society.
The central idea of GFR is that none of the goals can be achieved without the participation of
the refugees themselves.
Course of action
Protect the rights of refugees
- Inform refugees and asylum seekers about their rights and their obligations.
- Systematic dialogue with all governmental authorities and human rights organizations
aiming to the protection and aid of refugees and asylum seekers.
- Pressure Greek authorities to guarantee a properly working and fair asylum system.
- Share with the authorities and other actors recommendations on all the above issues.
Raise awareness
- Disclose human rights violations.
- Record and report abuses and discrimination, lack of protection, difficult living conditions
(social exclusion, marginalization, no financial or other support).
- Exercise pressure to the Greek and European authorities to improve the situation of
refugees in Greece.
- Raise awareness in the Greek society and media about the profile of refugees (reasons for
fleeing, sufferings during the journey, needs and problems in the host country).
7 Blog. Greek Forum of Refugees. http://refugeegr.blogspot.gr/
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
Encourage participation/integration of refugees
- Promote active participation of refugees to social, cultural and sporting events.
- Enhance collaboration between Greek and Refugee communities and organizations to
bring the refugees closer to the Greek society.
- Support refugees to organize themselves in groups and strengthen their capacity to
participate in social life and public dialogue.
Networking in Greece and abroad
Create and reinforce its communication and cooperation with other organizations (NGOs,
refugee communities, platforms, UN agencies) that work with refugee communities and on
their rights in Greece, Europe and internationally.
Sudanese Refugees Association
General Secretary : Amir Elnour Adam
Astipalias 2 Patision 224- 11256 Athens Tel/fax +30211 183 913
For Greek: 30 6945 7665 30-- 30 699 8791 03
For Arabic: 30 6992 798 103-30 6943 444 121
For English: 30 6947 2037 45-30 6975 696 663
Afghan Migrants and Refugees Communities in Greece
Spokesman: Kazim Royish
Tel & Fax. 2108814900, Mob. 6946210393
Email: info@afghangr@com, [email protected].
Greek Forum of Migrants
Coordinator E.G of NHP : Moavia Ahmed
2108232446, 6938569068
email: [email protected], [email protected]
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
Listen
Listen
Listen
Afghan Music
The music of Afghanistan8 has existed for a long time, but since the late 1970s the country has
been involved in constant wars and people were less concerned about music. As such, music in
Afghanistan has been suppressed and recording for outsiders minimal, despite a rich musical
heritage.
Located on the crossroads between many trade routes, Afghanistan's music tradition was
influenced by Arabs, Persians, Indians, Mongolians, Chinese and many others passing through.
Thus Afghan music features a mix of Persian melodies, Arab scales, Indian compositional
principles as well as sounds from ethnic groups such as the Pashtuns or Tajiks and the
instruments used range from Indian tablas to long-necked lutes.
Mohammad Hussain Sarāhang9 ( 1924–1983) was an Afghan musician and best known
exponent of hindustani classical music from Kabul Afghanistan. He was the second oldest son
of the renowned musician, Ustad Ghulam Hussain. Mohammad Hussain was born and raised in
Kharabat (Kabul), a city famous and conceivably notorious for its musicians.
Sarahang is one of the master singers of Patiala Gharana in North Indian classical music and is
also well known throughout India and Pakistan as a contemporary of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali
Khan. His composition "Pai Ashk" was used in the theme song of the Hindi film Mera Saya.
Ubaidullah Jan Kandaharai is regarded as the king of Pashto music in the southern Afghanistan
region. He died in the 1980s but his music is still very much enjoyed by the Pashtun diaspora
around the world, mainly by the Pashtuns in the Kandahar-Quettaregions.
Mohammad Hussain Sarāhang: Pai Ashk
Farida Mahwash10, one of the famous female singers who then gained the title of Ustad
(Master), had a major hit with "O bacheh" in 1977; she was "perhaps the most notable" of pop
singers. She was the first woman (as of 2013) to have been conferred the honorary title of
"Ustad" (meaning Master or Maestra in Dari) in 1977. She currently lives in Fremont,
California, US; and tours the world with her latest all star ensemble Voices of Afghanistan.
Farida Mahwash: Molla Mamad Jan
Farida Mahwash: All My Life
8 Music of Afghanistan. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Afghanistan 9 Mohammad Hussain Sarāhang. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Hussain_Sarahang 10 Farida Mahwash. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahwash
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
Listen
Listen
Listen
Listen
Since the 2001 US intervention in Afghanistan and the removal of the Taliban, the music scene
has begun to re-emerge. Some groups, like the Kaboul Ensemble11, have gained an
international reputation.
Kaboul Ensemble: Lal Qalandara Manzurme Kasualuna
Kaboul Ensemble: Délé Mara Bordi
Rock music is slow to gain a foothold in the country, and Kabul Dreams12 is one of the few
Afghan rock bands; formed in 2008 by ex-pats, they claim to be the first one. As the members
of the group originate from different Afghan regions, they do not share a common first
language, and perform in English. The Guardian called their music "indie rock that is peaceful,
wistful and positive, with shades of 90s Britpop and shoegaze”. They are influenced by British
bands such as Radiohead and Travis.
Kabul Dreams: Shahab
Kabul Dreams: Sadae man
Latest News
*Not necessary from Afghanistan. This section compiles the most relevant news about refugees
in the last week/month. From The New York13 Times and The Guardian14.
At least 24 dead in the Black Sea as boat sinks with 40 refugees aboard
The death toll in the sinking of a boat on Monday with 40 refugees aboard in the Bosphorus
has risen to 24. According to officials, seven people have been rescued alive so far and 24
bodies have been recovered. The accident took place in the Black Sea, 4 kilometers from the
northern tip of the Bosphorus. Turkey is a transit point for refugees trying to enter a European
Union country, but they usually leave from the western side of the country to reach one of the
Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
11 Kaboul Ensemble. WOMAD. http://womad.org/artists/ensemble-kaboul/ 12 Kabul Dreams. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabul_Dreams 13 Search: ‘Refugees‘. The New York Times, September-November 2014. http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/#/refugees/since1851/allresults/1/allauthors/newest/ 14 Search: ‘Refugees’. The Guradian, November 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/world/refugees
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
Christians of Mosul Find Heaven in Jordan
About 500 of the new and often traumatized Christian refugees now live in community halls in
seven churches in Amman and nearby Zarqa, trying hard to make do in places with little
privacy or even enough basic necessities like toilets. Many of the other refugees are living
several families to an apartment or house, paying the rent with their own money or with aid
from Caritas.
Sectarian Wedge Pushes From Syria Into Lebanon
Recent outbreaks of fighting and growing sectarian tensions in northern Lebanon have
increased fears that the civil war in neighboring Syria is spilling over, due to the country’s
fragile stability. Even before the new violence in Tripoli, the northern Bekaa was on edge. Just
up the hill from Labweh is the mainly Sunni town of Arsal, a Lebanese border enclave that has
become a volatile outpost of the Syrian conflict jutting into Lebanon. Once a sleepy village,
Arsal is now a crowded city of 90,000, its population trebled by arriving Sunni Syrian refugees.
Lebanon not accept more refugees from Syria
Government announced Thursday that it would not accept any more refugees from
neighboring Syria, except in what the authorities deem to be “exceptional” cases — a move
that could prevent tens of thousands of Syrians from escaping their country’s civil war.
Information Minister Ramzi Jreij said Lebanon could not handle any more refugees. Lebanon
has 1.1 million officially registered Syrian refugees — almost a quarter of Lebanon’s
population — although the actual number is believed to be far higher.
Guards abuse at refugees in Germany
At least six guards at refugee camps in Germany’s most populous state are under investigation
and suspected of abuse at three facilities. Images that appeared to show guards abusing
refugees have shocked many Germans, who have been taught since the end of the Nazi era to
offer asylum and help to people in need. The images in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia,
show a guard with his foot on the neck of a refugee lying on the floor with wrists bound, as
another guard grins. They also show guards forcing an unidentified man onto a mattress
soaked in vomit.
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
Asylum seeker treatment needs radical overhaul, says policy group
It’s the perfect time to rethink the way Australia handles asylum seekers, says a new report,
and it recommends big changes. The report recommended ending mandatory detention,
increasing the humanitarian intake to at least 25,000, processing asylum seekers in their home
countries and continuing regional dialogue on the issue. Refugee advocate Pamela Curr said
the government could find the money if it wanted. “It is spending around $10bn on stopping
people from coming here,” she said. “A tiny proportion of that could be spent on increasing
the humanitarian intake.”
Papua New Guinea to offer bridging visas to Manus refugees
Minister says asylum seekers found to be refugees will be given ‘cultural training’ but not
permanent resettlement. Papua New Guinea has insisted that a permanent agreement on
resettlement of refugees is still being determined but has signalled temporary concessions for
those held in Manus Island detention centre by offering them bridging visas and “cultural
training”. PNG’s immigration minister, Rimbink Pato, on Wednesday formalised Port Moresby’s
position on the asylum seekers, saying they would be offered the equivalent of Australian
bridging visas and cultural training.
Report AFGHANISTAN Broadcast 01. Borders Author: Aitor Sáez
Aitor Sáez / [email protected] / www.aitorsaez.com Serres, Greece, 06/11/2014
References
Statistics
Regional Operations Profile, Afghanistan, 2014. UNHCR. http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e486eb6.html
Afghan Refugees, 2012. Costs of War. http://costsofwar.org/article/afghan-refugees
Helpful Facts & Figures. Refugees International. http://www.refugeesinternational.org/get-
involved/helpful-facts-%2526-figures
SUSANNE SCHMEIDL. Protracted Displacement in Afghanistan: Will History Be Repeated?; August 8,
2011. Refugee Cooperation, Studies Group: Afghanistan.
http://www.refugeecooperation.org/publications/Afghanistan/10_schmeidl.php
Afghanistan Data. The World Bank. http://data.worldbank.org/country/afghanistan
Regional Operations Profile, Greece, 2014. UNHCR. http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e48e726.html
Statistics New Asylum Seekers Greece, December 2013. Infomobile.
http://infomobile.w2eu.net/2014/02/09/numbers-of-arrested-migrantsrefugees-in-greece-decrease-by-
462-asylum-service-published-statistics/
‘Numbers of arrested migrants/refugees in Greece decrease by 46,2%’. February 2014. Kathimerini.
http://www.kathimerini.com.cy/index.php?pageaction=kat&modid=1&artid=161745
Graphs
Number Afghan Refugees (1979-2007). Nyheter for aktivister. http://nyhetsbildet.wordpress.com/
Major source countries of refugees (end 2012). United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
http://unama.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?ctl=Details&tabid=12254&mid=15756&ItemID=36962
Afghan Refugees in other countries (2010). UNHCR.
http://bayareaislamicmigration.blogspot.gr/2010/04/internet-research-refining-plight-of_19.html
Refugees and Asylum seekers residing and originating in Greece (January 2014). UNHCR.
http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e48e726.html
Greek Forum of Refugees
Blog. http://refugeegr.blogspot.gr/
Music
Music of Afghanistan. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Afghanistan
Mohammad Hussain Sarāhang. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Hussain_Sarahang
Mohammad Hussain Sarāhang: Pai Ashk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjKOzTtr-mM
Farida Mahwash. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahwash
Farida Mahwash: Molla Mamad Jan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnlJnTUkg-4
Farida Mahwash: All My Life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkOardRGWJE
Kaboul Ensemble. WOMAD. http://womad.org/artists/ensemble-kaboul/
Kaboul Ensemble: Lal Qalandara Manzurme Kasualun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7ql9g2coEE
Kaboul Ensemble: Délé Mara Bordi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqDRNQX8zYc
Kabul Dreams. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabul_Dreams
Kabul Dreams: Shahab. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxLLCnGUJuQ
Kabul Dreams: Sadae man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4kAvjgqh-U
News
Search: ‘Refugees‘. The New York Times, September-November 2014.
http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/#/refugees/since1851/allresults/1/allauthors/newest/
Search: ‘Refugees’. The Guradian, November 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/world/refugees
