Speaking Out

Peter is a young man from Zimbabwe. A victim of the country’s economic crisis, he was forced to try and make a living by illegally panning for gold. He was not interested in politics, but his four childhood friends were all members of the MDC. As a result, he was…

In Uganda it is illegal to be gay. At the moment the maximum is 14 years and it is on course to be the death penalty. That is what I was running away from. My partner and I were put in prison, but it is a corrupt country so my…

Nasrin is from Iran. When she was 21, she came under pressure from her family to marry. She did not want to marry, preferring to pursue a career, but felt she had no choice – women do not have many options in Iran. Nasrin’s husband was violent to her from…

We left Iran because of my mother’s problems. I was only thirteen but I got the vibes that there is no free speech, no equality of men and women, differences in the legal terms that apply to men and women. She had issues with my Dad who was really part…

Mohamed is from Somalia. He fled the civil war that has been going on there since 1991. He is a member of a small clan, which cannot protect itself from the larger clans who are in control. Mohamed was lucky – he was granted refugee status by the Home Office.…

I left the Democratic Republic of Congo because of my involvement with a dissident newspaper. (There is no freedom of the press in DRC). I had an internet cafe and they were using my machines to type. I was hosting that group in my office without knowing what the risk…

Josephine was only 6 years old when both her parents were killed in Angola’s civil war. She is from Cabinda, which is a part of Angola which is seeking independence and has been the scene of a long running conflict as a result. Josephine cannot remember exactly what happened to…

I left Malawi because of my family. After my husband died my father wanted me to marry my husband’s brother because he was in business with him. At the end of the day it was like inheriting his brother’s possessions and it suited him that my brother-in- law was taking…