Tag: sans papier

Kids Parlement | Children’s Day

~ michelvanderburg

Kids Parlement | Children’s Day | 20211120 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com | Reportage with Amir Jafari in front of the Belgian Federal Public Service for Justice building, Boulevard de Waterloo, Brussels, Belgium – Nov 20, 2013.
Amir Jafari (12 yr old student and Afghan refugee in Belgium) – the voice and face of the Belgian ‘Kids Parlement’ – on the arrival of the silent solidarity march for Afghan refugees in Brussels 20 nov 2013. First brief encounter with Amir just before his public protest speech demanding Belgium changes its asylum policy. Full reportage of Amir’s speech in post Afghans & Belgians « We want justice » (20131124). Protest at the Belgian Federal Public Service for Justice building, Boulevard de Waterloo, Brussels, Belgium – Nov 20, 2013.

NL – DUTCH

MB – Ja, ik heb uw brief gezien, en gedeeld op facebook.
( ‘Eén dag in mijn schoenen’ – Nov 15, 2013 in de Belgisch krant De Standaard.)

Dus, vandaag wordt er voor u geprotesteerd ?

JF – Ja , eigenlijk voor iedereen.
Voor iedereen is het vandaag een protest dag.
Omdat het vandaag kinderrechten dag is.
Ze hebben genoeg gezwegen.
Iedereen heeft genoeg gezwegen.
Kinderen , jongere mensen hier, iedereen heeft genoeg gezwegen. Maar vandaag ..
Er moet niet meer gezwegen worden !
Vandaag is kinderrechten dag.
En iedereen mag zeggen wat hij wil !

EN – ENGLISH

MB – I saw your letter, and shared it on facebook.
( ‘One day in my shoes’ – Nov 15, 2013 in the Belgian news paper De Standaard ).

So, today there is a protest here for you ?

AJ – Yes, actually for everyone…
Today is a day of protest for everyone.
Because today is Children’s Rights Day.
They have been silent for long enough.
Everyone has been silent for long enough.
Children, young people, everyone
has been silent for long enough !
But today, we must break the silence,
because today is Children’s Rights Day…
and anyone can speak up for himself.

TAGS #refugee #Afghan #KidsParlement #asylum #undocumented #sanspapier #Brussels #Belgium #solidarity #march #protest #speech #AmirJafari #war #rights #kid #child #ChildrensDay #1Memo #michelvanderburg

Brussels’ Afghans Flee Taliban

~ michelvanderburg

Brussels’ Afghans Flee Taliban | 20210821 | Afghan refugee interview* by Kristen Cattell (USA) & Michel van der Burg (Holland) at the ‘Afghan camp’ inside the Béguinage Church in Brussels, Belgium – March 17, 2014 .

*One Afghan gentleman – who asked to remain anonymous – told us about his journey to Brussels. Interview anonymized by reconstruction using a disguised voice-over and visual and auditory imagery (organ Félix Snyers) captured March-April 2014 in the Church of Saint John the Baptist at the Béguinage in Brussels.

“When you are working with America or other organizations in Afghanistan the Taliban is a big problem. I was with the forces in Kandahar Province for one year. This was a big, big company in Kandahar. After one year the Taliban send some letters to my family saying, ‘Your son is working for the enemy.’ And they said, ‘He will come and he will work with us.’ Then I went to my home. And after the Taliban found out about me, I came to Iran, then I went to Europe, and this country.”

NL vertaling – translation dutch :

“Als je voor Amerika of andere organisaties in Afghanistan werkt, is de Taliban een groot probleem. Ik was een jaar bij de strijdkrachten in de provincie Kandahar. Dit was een groot, groot bedrijf in Kandahar. Na een jaar stuurden de Taliban enkele brieven naar mijn familie waarin ze zeiden: ‘Uw zoon werkt voor de vijand.’ En ze zeiden: ‘Hij moet bij ons komen werken.’ Ik ging naar huis. En toen de Taliban van mij wist, ging ik naar Iran, en vertrok vandaar naar Europa, en dit land.”

Reportage by Kristen Cattell (USA) & Michel van der Burg (Holland).
Remastered 2nd edition of film first published in 2015 (Béguinage shadows | 20151115).
Brussels’ Afghans Flee Taliban | 20210821 | michelvanderburg•com

TAGS #1Memo #michelvanderburg #BeguinageProject #houseofcompassionbrussels #Beguinage #church #Afghan #camp #refugee #tent #shelter #interview #Taliban #Belgium #Brussels #KristenCattell #asylum #undocumented #sanspapier #diversity #rights

LINKS More about the Beguinage Project here http://bit.ly/1HZguvY and here https://michelvanderburg.com/?s=Beguinage

Samir Hamdard ~ Afghan Refugee Camp Brussels Beguinage Church

~ michelvanderburg


Samir Hamdard ~ Afghan Refugee Camp Brussels Beguinage Church ~ In March 2014 Kristen Cattell (USA) and Michel van der Burg (Holland) traveled to Brussels, Belgium to meet a group of Afghans living inside an old Catholic church – the church of Saint John the Baptist at the Béguinage (Beguinage Church). At the time, nearly one hundred Afghan refugees had set up camp within the walls of the seventeenth century compound. We made a reportage and interviewed several people including Samir Hamdard (Ahmad Samir Hamdard) .
Samir the tireless activist of peace, justice and solidarity, was the spokesperson for the afghan refugees in Belgium – he died following a terrible fire accident that happened today a year ago (July 2019).

We thank Samir Hamdard and the other Afghan refugee friends who welcomed us and gave the interviews (note : full report of the other interviews in a follow-up later). Special thanks to Isabelle Marchal and others whose works were on display in the church and are shown in this film. Félix Snyers on the Béguinage church pipe organ.

Special thanks also to priest Daniel Alliët – host of the camp – who when retiring in 2019 started a new life for the church as House of Compassion – officially March 21 , 2020 – @houseofcompassionbrussels – http://www.houseofcompassion.brussels .

More about the Beguinage Project here http://bit.ly/1HZguvY and here https://michelvanderburg.com/?s=Beguinage

Reportage by Kristen Cattell (USA) and Michel van der Burg (Holland) | Beguinage Project .
Film : Samir Hamdard ~ Afghan Refugee Camp Brussels Beguinage Church | 20200729 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media

Regularisation Demonstration Brussels Beguinage Church

~ michelvanderburg

Regularisation Demonstration Brussels Beguinage Church

Art of the November 12th 2017 demonstration for regularisation of undocumented migrants found ‘resting’ March 2019 in the Brussels Beguinage Church . The Beguinage church is a long-standing resource for the Afghan cause.
The manifestation was organized by Coordination of Illegal Immigrants in Belgium collectively with other organisations . Film : 20191119 Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media

Samir Hamdard « We Want Justice ! »

~ michelvanderburg

Samir Hamdard « We Want Justice ! »
Afghans sans-papiers spokesperson Samir Hamdard (Ahmad Samir Hamdard) demanding justice…regularization of the belgian afghan refugees with no papers… the ‘sans-papier’…20 nov 2013 on the arrival of the silent solidarity march for afghan refugees in front of the Belgian Federal Public Service for Justice (FPS Justice) building at the Boulevard de Waterloo in the City of Brussels, Belgium.
Film (20191115) ~ Samir Hamdard « We Want Justice ! » by Michel van der Burg – michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media