Open Encounters

Open Encounters

Hear 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.

Episodes

December 15, 2021 37 mins

What’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 suic...

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Please 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 n...
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March 2, 2021 46 mins
You'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. Hea...
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August 11, 2020 24 mins

Read Alagie's original Journey Story, recorded in Lampedusa, Sicily, one day after his rescue at sea in November 2016.

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June 19, 2020 19 mins

Hear Part I of his conversation with Open Encounters on "Lockdown, Labor & Life."

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"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...
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June 17, 2020 14 mins

Hear Babou's original episode on the Open Encounters podcast from 2019, and his episode from Covid-19 lockdown.

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June 15, 2020 29 mins

Hear his first episode with Open Encounters last month from Covid-19 lockdown.

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June 12, 2020 27 mins

And hear his original episode with Open Encounters from 2019.

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June 8, 2020 18 mins

Hear Richard talk about migrant labor in Italy, about his Covid-19 lockdown experience, and his original episode for Open Encounters in 2019.

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Read Mahamed's original journey story on the site, recorded in November 2018 (e in italiano).

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Hear Richard's earlier episode in the "calls from lockdown" series, plus his original episode recorded in 2019.

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Lockdowns 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.
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May 15, 2020 12 mins

Hear Part 1 of Buba's conversation with Open Encounters.

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May 14, 2020 15 mins
Lockdowns 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...
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May 12, 2020 10 mins

Hear Ebrima's original episode recorded in 2019 on Open Encounters.

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May 11, 2020 11 mins
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May 11, 2020 4 mins
Lockdowns 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 do...
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May 8, 2020 9 mins
During 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.
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May 7, 2020 10 mins
During 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.
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