Open Encounters
40 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsHear the voices of the people who have crossed the Mediterranean Sea. After crossing continents, countries, the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean on inflatable boats, now they are on the next journey, of settling their lives in Italy, and beyond.
From humanitarian storytelling publication Migrants of the Mediterranean, this podcast brings light to the migrant flow in Italy and the EU in human terms. Migration continues to dominate the headlines in Europe, the US and around the world, but still so often only in political terms. Here, we change that.
Get to know the individuals themselves in one-on-one conversations with host and founder of Migrants of the Mediterranean, Pamela Kerpius.
Learn more about Migrants of the Mediterranean and read every journey story at the site.
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Episodes
Mental Health Crisis: Abraham, Abdul, Mohammad + Anas
December 15, 2021 05:00 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBWhat’s at stake when you enter a state housing system as an asylum seeker? In The Netherlands, there is a roof over your head, food on the table, and in this Middelburg location, a spacious game room and lounge where you can watch TV, play video games or share coffee with a friend. There is safety and even comfort here. So why are so many of the people living inside facing mental health crises?––of depression and even suicide. MotM has reported from the Middelburg, Netherlands COA h...
Sea Rescue: Meet Miguel
March 18, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBPlease meet more of those from the rescue community. Miguel Duarte worked aboard the Iuventa through the now-defunct German sea rescue operation Jugend Rettet from 2016-2017 on four missions. On his final mission, the Iuventa came to port and was immediately seized by Italian authorities who falsely claimed he and his shipmates had participated in aiding human trafficking, among other unfounded charges. It is part of the narrative to criminalize NGO rescue ships, which are seen as ac...
Sea Rescue: Meet Francesco
March 02, 2021 05:00 - 46 minutes - 64.1 MBYou've met many people over the years who were rescued at sea. But what about the people who rescued them? Who are they, and what was their role in this arc of migration history? Today we take a departure from our usual interviews with people in the migrant community to meet one of those rescuers, Francesco Tripoli. Francesco worked aboard the Sea Watch 2 and Sea Watch 3 ships from 2017-2018 on five different missions. Hear his testimony about what it was like, and the gratitude he h...
SPECIAL EPISODE: Reunion with Alagie
August 11, 2020 04:00 - 24 minutes - 33.4 MBRead Alagie's original Journey Story, recorded in Lampedusa, Sicily, one day after his rescue at sea in November 2016. ★ Support this podcast ★
On Racism: Bapa, Part II
June 19, 2020 04:00 - 19 minutes - 26.3 MBHear Part I of his conversation with Open Encounters on "Lockdown, Labor & Life." ★ Support this podcast ★
On Lockdown, Labor & Life: Bapa, Part I
June 18, 2020 04:00 - 25 minutes - 34.7 MB"You have to fight for what you like...Try, even if they tell you it's not possible for you, leave them. Don't argue. Keep fighting. Fight in a positive way," said Bapa (Sierra Leone) from his home in Passau, Germany. As lockdowns keep lifting and we continue to make calls to our friends in the migrant community in Italy, Germany, and in Belgium. When Bapa arrived in Italy before crossing to Germany in 2016, he had a dream for his life. And even though the reality is different than w...
SPECIAL EPISODE: Babou's Update
June 17, 2020 04:30 - 14 minutes - 19.3 MBHear Babou's original episode on the Open Encounters podcast from 2019, and his episode from Covid-19 lockdown. ★ Support this podcast ★
On Racism: Ousmane
June 15, 2020 04:00 - 29 minutes - 40.8 MBHear his first episode with Open Encounters last month from Covid-19 lockdown. ★ Support this podcast ★
On Racism: Pazi
June 12, 2020 04:00 - 27 minutes - 38.2 MBAnd hear his original episode with Open Encounters from 2019. ★ Support this podcast ★
On Racism: Fabulous
June 10, 2020 05:00 - 39 minutes - 54.2 MBHear him speak about Migrant Labor and about his experience in Covid-19 lockdown. ★ Support this podcast ★
On Racism: Richard
June 08, 2020 04:30 - 18 minutes - 24.8 MBHear Richard talk about migrant labor in Italy, about his Covid-19 lockdown experience, and his original episode for Open Encounters in 2019. ★ Support this podcast ★
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Mahamed on Migrant Labor
May 27, 2020 04:00 - 15 minutes - 21.3 MBRead Mahamed's original journey story on the site, recorded in November 2018 (e in italiano). ★ Support this podcast ★
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Richard on Migrant Labor
May 22, 2020 04:30 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBHear Richard's earlier episode in the "calls from lockdown" series, plus his original episode recorded in 2019. ★ Support this podcast ★
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Fabulous on Migrant Labor
May 20, 2020 04:00 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MBHear his first episode in the "calls from lockdown" series, plus his original episode on Open Encounters in 2019. ★ Support this podcast ★
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Yanks on Migrant Labor
May 18, 2020 04:00 - 18 minutes - 25 MBLockdowns start to lift! We continue to make calls to our friends in the migrant community in Italy, and in Germany. In this episode, we speak to Yanks (Gambia) for a status check from his home outside Naples, Italy. With migrant labor in the news, we talk about his experience working in agriculture where he has earned as little as 25 Euros for a grueling days' work, and without a contract. Hear all of the details.
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Yanks
May 18, 2020 04:00 - 18 minutes - 25 MBLockdowns start to lift! We continue to make calls to our friends in the migrant community in Italy, and in Germany. In this episode, we speak to Yanks (Gambia) for a status check from his home outside Naples, Italy. With migrant labor in the news, we talk about his experience working in agriculture where he has earned as little as 25 Euros for a grueling days' work, and without a contract. Hear all of the details.
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Buba, Part 2
May 15, 2020 04:00 - 12 minutes - 16.9 MBHear Part 1 of Buba's conversation with Open Encounters. ★ Support this podcast ★
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Buba, Part 1
May 14, 2020 04:00 - 15 minutes - 22 MBLockdowns start to lift: we're ushering in "Fase Due," Phase Two of COVID-19 lockdown, and continue to connect with the migrant community in Italy, and in Germany. In this episode, we speak to Buba (Gambia) for a status check. Hear how he's managing after two months in quarantine in Bergamo, Italy, one of the areas hardest hit by the virus. And hear some good news too––about his admiration for the Bergamo people, about his respect for migrants everywhere, plus, some big news on his a...
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Ebrima
May 12, 2020 04:00 - 10 minutes - 15.1 MBHear Ebrima's original episode recorded in 2019 on Open Encounters. ★ Support this podcast ★
SPECIAL EPISODE: Andrew's Update
May 12, 2020 03:00 - 11 minutes - 15.3 MBHear Andrew's "From COVID-19 Lockdown" episode from 6 May 2020. ★ Support this podcast ★
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Mustapha
May 11, 2020 04:00 - 4 minutes - 6.07 MBLockdowns start to lift! We're ushering "Fase Due," Phase Two of COVID-19 lockdown, and continue to connect with the migrant community in Italy, and in Germany. In this episode, we speak to Mustapha (Gambia) for a status check. Hear how he's managing after two months in quarantine in Latina, Italy, about his drive to begin work, "any work," he urgently says, and how he stays away from too much news to keep stress levels down.
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Foday
May 08, 2020 04:00 - 9 minutes - 13.7 MBDuring the worldwide lockdown of COVID-19 MotM connects with the migrant community in Italy and in Germany. In this episode, we speak to Foday (Gambia) for a status check. Hear how he's managing after two months in quarantine in Latina, Italy, and about his first day out on May 4th, Italy's start of "fase due" (phase two) and the end of fase uno (phase one) lockdown across the country.
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Ousmane
May 07, 2020 04:00 - 10 minutes - 14.5 MBDuring the worldwide lockdown of COVID-19 MotM connects with the migrant community in Italy and in Germany. In this episode, we speak to Ousmane (Gambia) for a status check. Hear how he's managing after two months in quarantine in Bayern (Bavaria state), Germany, about wearing masks at the club, and his words of precaution to keep distance and keep wearing our masks as lockdowns starts to lift.
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Andrew
May 06, 2020 04:00 - 11 minutes - 15.8 MBDuring the worldwide lockdown of COVID-19 MotM connects with the migrant community in Italy and in Germany. In this episode, we speak to Andrew (Nigeria) for a status check. Hear how he's managing after two months in quarantine in Limatola, Italy, and his hope that the Italian government and people can begin to view the frequently-isolated migrant population with greater sympathy as lockdown begins to lift.
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Richard
May 05, 2020 04:00 - 11 minutes - 15.8 MBHear Richard's original episode on the Open Encounters podcast from 2019. ★ Support this podcast ★
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Babou
May 04, 2020 04:00 - 12 minutes - 16.6 MBHear Babou's original episode on the Open Encounters podcast from 2019. ★ Support this podcast ★
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Moussa
May 01, 2020 04:00 - 7 minutes - 9.67 MBDuring the worldwide lockdown during COVID-19 MotM connects with the migrant community in Germany and Italy. In this episode, we speak to Moussa (Senegal) for a status check. Hear how he's managing after about two months in quarantine in Günzburg, Germany, and about his Ramadan during lockdown, and finally his positive words that no matter black or white we are all the same.
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Landing
April 30, 2020 04:00 - 9 minutes - 12.7 MBDuring the worldwide lockdown during COVID-19 MotM connects with the migrant community in Germany and Italy. In this episode, we speak to Landing (Gambia) for a status check. Hear how he's managing after about two months in quarantine in a city outside Stuttgart, Germany, and stay posted on the MotM Facebook page where we'll share his next live music performance.
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Bakary
April 29, 2020 04:00 - 10 minutes - 14.9 MBDuring the worldwide lockdown during COVID-19 MotM connects with the migrant community in Italy. In this episode, we speak to Bakary (Gambia) for a status check. Hear how he's managing after six weeks in quarantine in Naples, Italy, and his wish to turn the mic on me when we can finally meet in person again.
From COVID-19 Lockdown: Fabulous
April 28, 2020 04:00 - 13 minutes - 18.9 MBHear his original episode recorded in 2019 on Open Encounters. ★ Support this podcast ★
Richard
December 24, 2019 05:00 - 32 minutes - 44.9 MBRead Richard’s original journey story on the site––anche disponibile in italiano. His followup story and photo essay is forthcoming. ★ Support this podcast ★
Babou
December 10, 2019 05:00 - 46 minutes - 63.9 MBRead Babou’s original journey story on the site––anche disponibile in italiano. His followup story and photo essay is forthcoming. ★ Support this podcast ★
Peter, Part II
October 29, 2019 04:00 - 20 minutes - 27.6 MBGran Ghetto, the worst of the migrant ghettos in the agricultural south, is now where Peter lives after going homeless days after recording Part I of our conversation. "This is against humanity," he said about staying in its squalid conditions. Read MotM's full story and see our video coverage, ground rarely seen by outsiders, on the site. Recorded 8 October 2019, in Foggia, Italy. ★ Support this podcast ★
Peter, Part I
October 01, 2019 04:00 - 17 minutes - 24 MBI met "Peter" (name changed) in his home city, Isernia, a place in the Molise region east and south of Rome in May 2019. He sat alone in the piazza taking a break from a day that was otherwise uneventful. That moment, part of a regular circuit of places to visit across his day was his way of creating structure and purpose where there was none. We met again in September 2019, when this episode was recorded, just days before he would be asked to leave his state housing on account of t...
Pazi
September 17, 2019 04:00 - 20 minutes - 28.9 MBRead Pazi’s original journey story on the site––anche disponibile in italiano. Plus, his follow-up story from November 2017 and our documentation of his asylum hearing in Rome, April 2018. ★ Support this podcast ★
SPECIAL EPISODE: Sami
August 15, 2019 19:00 - 14 minutes - 19.8 MBSami (24, Eritrea) pleads to be heard from the Khoms, Libya migrant detention center today, 15 August 2019, after finding the dead from a July shipwreck. Bodies are washing ashore and his life is in danger. "Don't forget about me, or us," he said.
Moses
August 13, 2019 04:00 - 51 minutes - 71 MBRead Moses's original journey story on the site––anche disponibile in Italiano! ★ Support this podcast ★
Ebrima
August 06, 2019 04:00 - 51 minutes - 70.1 MBEbrima was 14-years-old when he fled The Gambia for Europe. He was kidnapped twice in Algeria before he was sixteen, and was tortured and starved in Libya before he successfully made the Mediterranean crossing for Italy. He landed in Lampedusa where I met him in the days after his rescue, but was transferred from the island hotspot before our scheduled interview the next day. Two years later, I met him in Agrigento, Sicily, where he emerged onto the piazza bearing no resemblance to ...
Fabulous
July 30, 2019 04:00 - 37 minutes - 51.2 MBFabulous lives in a small village outside of Naples, Italy. He was transferred there after his first reception in Catania just after his sea rescue on 24 Nov 2016. Here, with his usual positive flair, he talks about work prospects and adjusting to Italian culture, gratitude for where he is now, and about having patience. Our conversation took place in Naples, Italy in April 2019. Plus, read his story on the site for accompanying words and photos! ★ Support this podcast ★
Amadou
July 23, 2019 04:00 - 37 minutes - 51.8 MBAmadou arrived in Lampedusa in Nov 2016 after rescue on the Mediterranean. A year-and-a-half later we reunited in his transfer city in the south of Italy to continue his story. We discuss what it’s like to be rescued on the sea, his missing family members who he fears drowned in Dec 2017 and his prospects for work in Italy. Plus, read his story on the site for accompanying words and photos: www.migrantsofthemed.com/motm-reunion-meet-amadou-two-years-later ★ Support this podcast ...