Season 4, Episode 5: Born Free
In this episode, edna bonhomme spoke with Bino from Wearebornfree! Empowerment Radio (WeR!). WeR! is an independent is a radio program organized by Refugees & Friends to empower each other; it was formed throughout the German Refugee Resistance 2012. The group serves as a platform for all marginalized people like women, children, LGBTIQ, Black people and People of Color and others.
You can listen to the episode on iTunes, Soundcloud, and Spotify.
“It is fundamental to understand the true essence of being ‘human’. Unfortunately, only a few people acknowledge this fact in the capitalistic world today. With a minority holding the keys to power the majority of people are being dehumanized.”
— excerpt from We are born free!
Biography
Bino Byansi Byakuleka
I am Bino Byansi Byakuleka formerly known as Patras Bwansi Ugandan born in 1979.
A diploma holder in Industrial art and design, and also an Iconographer. In August 2010 I became a refugee in Germany and in August 2012 I started a protest tent in Passau Klostagarten. In October I joined the big refugee protest camp in Berlin at Oranienplatz- Kreuzberg. I became more political and in late 2013 I funded the African Refugees Union (ARU) and recently I came up with a campaign “WE ARE BORN FREE! MY RIGHT IS YOUR RIGHT!” lobbying for HUMANITY SUPPORT. In 2014 I published a book: Mein Name ist Bino Byansi Byakuleka and wrote many articles.
It’s due to my experience I have passed through and the current situation of refugees in Germany and Europe that forced and empowered me to stand up and said: “I gonna start a radio!” For instance, the current wave of welcoming culture is very important in order to show alternatives to the racist hatred that is getting stronger each day. At the same time, this wave comes exactly at the time when our refugee movement has become very weak to almost not existing anymore. The so-called civil society chooses to be in the helping position instead of supporting self-organized refugee resistance. This is a step back, it puts us back to being the helped supposedly passive object while the helpers are becoming a new lobby.
Therefore I came out with these questions below:
How can we deal with these developments?
How can we come out of the watching, passive position, and back into the acting, proactive, demanding one?
How to organize a protest against the horrible law changes which are not (much) considered by helpers and white charity?
In January 2016 I started a radio “Wearebornfree! Empowerment Radio (We!R)” as a political strategy to go over the mainstream media and to make our voices stronger and visible.
WE!R serves as a platform for empowerment to both refugees and friends. Focusing on refugee women, children, and LGBTIQ relatively and other issues such as sexism, homophobia, nationalism, among others that have been neglected in the refugee movement.
We!R is also as a network to reach those we cannot reach through street protests politically, socially / culturally, scientifically, economically, and spiritually.
About
#Wearebornfree! Empowerment Radio (We!R)
This is a radio program organized by Refugees & Friends for Friends and Enemies around the globe.
— Mission —
To decolonize our minds, bodies and spirits.
To instigate movements of optimism and happiness through accepting individuals for who they are in all our program and events.
To strive in raising awareness by improving communication, coordination, and organization of all activities.
To be creative and dare to dream big.
— Vision —
To resist and empower each other against the capitalistic system at all levels.
Links
Show Credits
Interview and Post-production
edna bonhomme
music
All music is from Freesounds.org (Creative Commons)
Thank you
A special thank you to Bino and Wearebornfree!