African Voices in the UK Asylum System (film screening & panel discussion)

Duncan Whitley

Documentary short film produced by Inini Filmmakers Group, exploring themes of care, bureaucracy and the 'hostile environment' in the UK.

commonground

African Voices in the UK Asylum System: Care, Bureaucracy and the Hostile Environment A documentary short film screening and panel discussion about experiences of the UK asylum system, featuring an interview-based film produced by Inini Filmmakers Group in collaboration with artist-filmmaker Duncan Whitley. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by Ana Aliverti (University of Warwick, author of ‘Policing the Borders from Within'), with a panel whose diverse expertise and experience covers lived experience of the asylum system, law, activism, mental health and community organisation. The conversation will explore some of the issues faced by people seeking Leave to Remain, and the dehumanisation of the asylum bureaucracy. Biographies: Ana Aliverti is Professor of Law at the University of Warwick. She researches border regimes and the intersections of these with criminal justice logics, actors and practices. Her monograph ‘Policing the Borders from Within’ was published in 2021 by Oxford University Press. Ana is currently conducting work on the asylum bureaucracy in the UK. She is a member of Borders, Race, Ethnicity and Migration (BREM) Network at University of Warwick.Andrew Nyamayaro is a legal professional serving as Principal Solicitor at Tann Law Solicitors Ltd. He is a contributor on immigration content for the global publisher By Lawyers. Andrew has a legal background covering immigration, family, employment and human rights law. He has extensive experience assisting people seeking asylum and humanitarian protection in the UK, and has worked with victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.Loraine Masiya Mponela is a mother, poet, activist and community organiser. Loraine is the author of “I was not born a sad poet” and “Now I Sing: 50 poems to celebrate 50 years”. She was chair of CARAG (Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group) 2018-2022, and is a founder member of Sisters Not Strangers Coalition and Status Now 4 All Network. Loraine received Leave to Remain in the UK in 2022 after seven years in the asylum system. She currently works for Migrant Voice charity in Birmingham.Last Mafuba is the founder and CEO of Inini Initiative, a social enterprise providing psychosocial interventions to refugee and migrant communities. She is a dedicated advocate for social justice with a profound commitment to promoting equity and empowering marginalised communities. With a diverse background in psychology, law, and human rights, she has been instrumental in advancing the well-being and rights of this cohort. Details: Thursday 18 April 2024 18:30 - 20:30 (screening commences at 19:00) Commonground, Fargo Village, Far Gosford St. Coventry CV1 5ED Migrating Dreams and Nightmares Exhibition:The event takes place in association the ‘Migrating Dreams and Nightmares’ photographic exhibition curated by Kate Rossin at Commonground, featuring text and images from John Berger and Jean Moir from their seminal book ‘A Seventh man’ first published in 1973. The curation by Kate at Commonground builds on a collaboration between Berger and Mohr with Goldsmiths Sociology Department in 2015, in which the exhibition was designed and curated as a passageway of learning encounters by Nirmal Puwar and Mariam Motamedi Fraser, as Co-Directors of the Methods Lab. At Commonground they have also joined up with Hannah Jones (University of Warwick).For more information on the exhibition: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Commongroundcoventry/" title="https://www.facebook.com/Commongroundcoventry/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.facebook.com/Commongroundcoventry/</a>