A magazine produced by asylum seekers and immigrants in Denmark > June 2010 > issue # 79

ENCOUNTERSWHAT THEY SAY:

MEETING DANES

P 3

FREEDOM OF SPEECH:

MIND WHAT YOU

SAY IN SOMALIA

P 5

IN TRANSITION:

BECOMING A

COPENHAGENERP 7

NAVIGATE CAREFULLY:

AFTER THE

‘POSITIVE’P 10

THE GREAT ATLANTIC

MIGRATION:

ISLAND OF HOPE,

ISLAND OF TEARS

P 12

PAGE 2 | ISSUE # 79 | JUNE 2010 | NEW TIMES

Published by:The Danish Red Cross Asylum Department

Editorial Office:Danish Red Cross Asylum DepartmentH. C. Ørstedsvej 47DK-1879 Frederiksberg CDenmarkEmail: newtimesdk@gmail.comwww.newtimes.dkTel: +45 2334 5887

New Times Coordinator:Patricia Brander

Editor:Ole Jeppesen

Editor-in-Chief:Karen-Inger Thorsen

New Times journalists:Abderrahman, Ahmed, Aluko, Badar, Passion, Jimmy, Job, John, Mad, Majid, Qamar, H. Shirzai, Sheila, Shiva,Yusuf, Zahra, Ziad

On job training:LegendKatzJanOmid

Trainee:Sarah Madsen

Volunteers:Heather Johnson, Leoné Nowell, Jennifer Robinson

Layout:Jens Burau, supergreen.dk

Printed by:OTMAvistryk

Distributed free of charge to:Danish Asylum Centres, Ministries, members of the Danish Parliament, public libraries, asylum and human rights organisations, NGOs, media and individuals in Denmark and abroad.

Subscription:If you would like to subscribe to New Times and receive copies by post, please send an email to newtimesdk@gmail.com. There is no charge, subscriptions are free.

ASIG:ASIG (Asylum Seekers’ Information Group) exists to answer questions about asylum and asylum life. Individuals, teachers, students, journalists – anyone who is interested in asylum matters is welcome to send an enquiry. To book the group for lectures, presenta-tions and discussions on asylum life to take

place at your school or place of work, contact newtimesdk@gmail.com.

Support:This issue is supported by the Ministry of Refu-gee, Immigration and Integration Affairs and by the EU, Europeaid, NSA & LA in Development

The opinions expressed are those of the authors and the persons interviewed. DRC cannot be held responsible for any other opinions. All contributions are very welcome from readers and others who take an interest in the issue of asylum and human rights. The Editorial Board reserves the right to edit these materials accord-ing to editorial and space considerations. This publication is based on the Red Cross principles of humanity, independence, impartiality, neu-trality, voluntarism, universality and unity.

ISSN:1397 6877

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THE DANESHow will it be today? I have an important appointment at the Red Cross in Frederiksberg. I forgot to tell you that my name is Abderrahman, I come from Algeria and I’m blind. I live in Avnstrup Center and the Red Cross is two hours’ commute away. I have nobody to guide me - it’s a challenge!

SOLIDARITY IN ACTIONMeeting and greeting “We can show solidarity, but solidarity resolutions alone are not enough,” says the president of the Danish Union of Journal-ists, Mogens Blicher Bjerregård in this issue of New Times.

Sometimes solidarity calls for action. The feeling of solidar-ity is universal; the challenge can be how to act upon it. We all know the feeling of wanting to do something, but are often stuck with the question of what to do. For example, the article on how censorship is carried out in Somalia calls for universal soli-darity with those living under a threat to their lives for speaking their mind. But what can we do other than feel the solidarity? The interview with the Presi-dent of the Danish Union of Journalists gives some answers to this.

Solidarity in action can also be as simple as the way we meet each other - an act of solidarity

that can be carried out by eve-ryone, everywhere. This issue of New Times tells us the stories of first encounters between people with different views and from different backgrounds. Read how a blind asylum seeker was met by people in the streets of Copen-hagen; see what advice someone starting a new life in Denmark gives to those who hope to do the same in a near future; and see how a forth-coming exhibition will display how we face a new land and a new city.

The process of reflecting on how we greet each other is, in itself, an act of solidar-ity. The report from a migra-tion workshop held at a local school under the Positive Images project (described in the last issue of New Times) shows solidarity shown from an early age. When asked what they, as young people, could do to help the integration process, a

pupil responded: “We should treat them [refugees, Ed.] with respect. And try to help them feel they are welcome in our country, but still treat them like we would treat anybody else”. Respect and solidarity in action – it’s as simple as that. Or take further action: “We could write a poem or a song for Refugee Day” another pupil suggested. Which is exactly what students from a local school have done in the essay competition “If I were a Refugee”. We have chosen to present two selected poems/raps in this edition of New Times, but all contributions can be seen at www.newtimes.dk.

We hope you enjoy read-ing this edition. Please share your reflections of solidarity in action at www.newtimes.dk, where you can also see more articles and debates, and sub-scribe to the newsletter.

MNS

❚ By Abderrahman

Someone once gave me a piece of advice - if you want to get help from Danes you must say “I need help” three times at least so that people can hear you. I took the bus to Roskilde railway station. It was a bit com-plicated for me to figure out which platform my train was to go from. I asked the first person passing by for assistance and she took my arm and helped me – not only to the platform - but to get in and find a seat. She

wished me good luck and then got off the train.

When coming out of the central station in Copenhagen, an old man asked me if I needed help and I said “I want to catch the 2A bus”. “It has just left,” he said. He waited with me for ten minutes until the next one came. He said that he was a retired histo-rian who used to work at the Univer-sity and he had visited my country through his historical readings.

When I got off the bus at H.C. Ørstedsvej I walked down the road

until a young Danish man pushing his bicycle stopped me and asked “Do you need help, sir?”. I replied, “I am looking for the Red Cross House.” It turned out that I’d been walking in the wrong direction. He led me back to the Red Cross, through the door and put my hand on the banister. I thanked him and said, “Have a nice day.”

I can not hide that I was a bit afraid when I left home, but satisfied and happy when I reached my desti-nation. Now I am sitting in the New Times office….

BE THERE!Please join us in marking

World Refugee Day on Friday, 18 June from 14.00 to 18.00 at Café Zusammen

(www.cafezusammen.dk - H. C. Ørstedsvej 47, DK-1879 Fred-eriksberg C).

THE EVENT WILL INCLUDE: ❚ Art & information exhibitions;

❚ Poetry readings; ❚ Short films;

❚ World music; ❚ Henna hand painting; and

❚ The New Times issue #79 launch.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU!

NEW TIMES | JUNE 2010 | ISSUE # 79 | PAGE 3

MEETING DANESOPINION: The Danish people take great pride in their heritage, history, language and culture. Danes are said to be easy-going people, though difficult to get friendly with. New Times looked into the matter.

❚ H. Shirzai

It can be a challenge for asylum seekers to interact and make friends with Danes. This may be because of language barri-ers, cultural differences and the negative images some Danes have of asylum seekers partly due to the media coverage. New Times tried to ask a few Danes around Copenhagen and in Store Heddinge about their views on asylum seekers.

Only four out of ten who were asked, agreed to talk to New Times, while the others avoided the situation by just walking away, or, more politely, by first saying they were not interested. One said he didn’t want to speak with New Times because he had had a hard day and needed to relax!

ON MEETING ASYLUM SEEKERSMargrethe, a Danish woman living in Store Heddinge said: “Danes are afraid of foreign-ers flowing into Denmark, and scared that they will soon be outnumbered. We also see a lot of things on TV. There are lots of things described in the papers too; attacks using knives. That is why peope are afraid. But we are all human and I am not scared. I am sorry that Danes don’t socialise with asylum seekers.”

Ruth in Copenhagen com-mented: “There are good and bad people everywhere. I have no problems with asylum seek-ers. However, if one would like to stay in Denmark, he should learn the Danish language.” She continued by saying, “On the religious part, we all have one God, we just name it dif-ferently.”

Sebastian in Copenagen said: ‘’I like them and most of them are nice people. They are friendly. I do not agree with those people who oppose them. I would like the asylum seekers to stay as long as they fit into the country.’’

Dennis summed it up with, “We like them [asylum seekers, Ed.] as long as they do not make trouble.”

ON MEETING DANESAsylum seekers and refugees have their own stories and experiences.

Wahid, an asylum seeker in Sigerslev Center said, ‘’I have not met many of them [Danes, Ed.], but those I have met, have been nice to me.’’

Ramish, an asylum seeker from Iran said: ‘’I do not believe many of the Danes even when they are smiling; there is anger,

distrust and hatred behind those smiles.’’

Nassar, originally from Afghanistan, but who has lived in Copenhagen for many years said,

“When a foreigner, whether a refugee or an asylum seeker, does something wrong, it is always brought up in the media and re-played by a political party who uses it because they don’t like foreigners. That is why people are scared.”

IGNORANCEMuch confusion, disbelief and feelings of anger arise on both sides because of ignorance and misunderstanding.

A university-educated Ira-nian, Rasol, enjoyed chatting with his Danish teacher; they got on really well until one day it all stopped. The teacher had asked about the population of Tehran, the capital of his coun-try. Rasol explained that during the day the population is higher than at night, because many people commute into the city from the nearby provinces for work. Thus, in the daytime the population reaches almost 10 million.

The teacher reacted with sur-prise and disbelief, asking Rasol if he knew how much 10 million was. Rasol was offended - of course he knew what 10 mil-lion was! He felt that it was as

though his teacher thought he was some uneducated person from a third-world country.

In another incident, a woman in Frederiksberg library started talking with me about movies and books. When she asked me where I came from, she looked surprised when I answered, Afghanistan. “I thought Afghanistan is just a desert nothing more,” she said, then asked, “Were you really brought up and educated in Afganistan? In Afghanistan they are all fighters and funda-mentalists.”

CULTURAL DIFFERENCESOne of the other reasons for the gap between refugees and Danes is their differing cultural backgrounds. For example, most refugees are religious and talk-ing about such issues can bring the conversation to halt.

One day I was talking with a Danish woman on the train and we got onto the subject of religion. She said, “We are proud to have freedom of speech, and it is OK for anybody to draw anything they like. If you were to say or draw something about Jesus in your country, we Danes would not care.” I tried to explain how Muslims can be offended, but I am not sure that she really understood my point of view.

As I was travelling from

Aarhus to Copenhagen, I spoke with another Danish woman and on the topic of immi-grants, she said: “Years ago we needed more people to work, to contribute in our society. We welcomed many foreign-ers, especially Turks, thinking that their children most prob-ably will be brought up in the Danish way, but it was not so. Many of them brought up their children as if they were still in their own country and many have fundamental views. When people come to our country to seek shelter, we want them to change to the Danish way, or else they should leave.” After she got off, I went thought deeply about whether getting asylum will really mean losing my identity and roots.

HOW TO GET ALONGWhile asylum seekers are adjusting to a new culture, they often keep silent to maintain social harmony. One of the ways to interact with Danes is to hide your status. In my expe-rience, Danish people are more friendly and open if they don’t know you are an asylum seeker. They smile and laugh and try to get to know you better. But as soon as they find out the truth, those smiles fade and silence slowly descends. My own tactic is to say that I am a volunteer journalist with the New Times

– this gives the impression that I am working, and work is very important for Danes. Another recommended tactic is to say how much you like the Danish countryside. Danes love their nature and will happily tell you where to go for good walks.

BUILDING BRIDGESDanes, asylum seekers and immigrants need better oppor-tunties for building bridges between them. Meetings bring people into closer contact, pro-mote understanding and build up trust.

In Vejle, Jelling asylum centre plans city tours every other week. For example, they go to the cinema, the park and the zoo and meet with Danes. At the same time, some Danes visit the centre and there many social activities are organized.

On the other hand, people in Store Heddinge turn their backs on asylum seekers and say that the asylum seekers cause prob-lems. When asked about the problems, it seems that it is more a general distrust by the locals; it’s a lose / lose situation.

One way round the isolation of the communities could be if asylum seekers in Denmark could live outside the centres and in the community, as hap-pens in the UK and Sweden. This may well help people to meet each other properly.

PAGE 4 | ISSUE # 79 | JUNE 2010 | NEW TIMES

MIND WHAT YOU SAY IN SOMALIADoes the world know about the silent persecution of journalists in Somalia?

❚ By Zahra and Qamar

“The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion.”

Henry Steele Commager, American historian

Article 19 of the Universal Dec-laration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expres-sion... this right includes the freedom to receive and impart information and ideas through media and regrdless of fron-tiers. Freedom of expression is a pillar that enables people to live in a society of justice, equality and to interact with respect for one another. Somali media is however, currently in its worst state ever with abuses perpe-trated both against journalists and the media in general. Most of these atrocities are commit-ted by rival factions fighting for power.

“We call on the local radio stations to stop airing the songs and all kinds of music including the signature tunes for the radio programmes. We give them a 10-day deadline and any radio station found not complying with the orders will subsequently face Sharia action. We are a Muslim society,

and music being of ‘un-Islamic’ Western value is an evil that we must forbid in our society,” said Ma’allin Hashi Muhammad Farah, leader of Hisb al-Islam faction, on April 3rd, 2010.

By the end of April 2010, most radio stations in the Somali capital, Mogadishu appeared to be observing the Islamist insurgents’ orders to stop play-ing ‘un-Islamic’ music. Only the government-owned Radio Mog-adishu and the Kenyan-based, UN-sponsored Bar-Kulan radio continued to defy the ban. They were able to do so because they have government protection, unlike other private radio sta-tions.

A STRATEGY THAT IS NOTHING NEWHisb al-Islam’s decision to ban music from the local radio sta-tions was not the first act of censorship inflicted on the Somali people. Last year, al-Shabab, another radical Islam-ist movement that now con-trols most of southern Soma-lia, acted in a similar manner, banning Warsan Radio airing music or women’s voices in the southwestern Somali town of Baydhabo. When the station ignored the orders, al-Shabab took over. Some of the station’s staff joined the militants while others fled.

Al-Shabab does not only rely on radio broadcasts to gain influence. They also use the Internet and a network of recruiters and the promise of a regular income as a part of their recruitment strategy. They even reach out to Somali communi-ties in places like Minnesota, USA and Sweden where young men join and return to Somalia to al-Shabab camps.

STATEMENTS OF FEAR“Lack of freedom of expression and discouraging the independ-ent media in Somalia will lead to the collapse of independent information, as well as paving the way for different terror-ist factions to broadcast their own media that will serve their own interests,” said Abdullahi Mohamed Nur, a consultant with a local peace promoting NGO in the Somali capital, Mog-adishu.

“I always stay at the radio station and I cannot visit my family in the capital. For almost a year I haven’t seen my family, as I fear being killed by the insurgents. I often receive tel-ephone call threats. I am told, ‘we will kill you when we find you,’” said Abdirahman Yusuf, the editor of state-owned Radio Mogadishu.

The move to restrict the media’s coverage in Somalia

has been widely condemned by the international community. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the global voice of journalists, has expressed its concern over the matter and aknowledges that there has been a serious deterioration of the situation for private media outlets operating out of Soma-lia’s densely populated and war-torn capital city of Mogadishu.

GLORY ONCE AGAIN?Somalia has been engulfed in anarchy since 1991 and has at the same time experienced one of the worst droughts in history. Further, years of peace nego-tiations between the various factions have harvested little, if any, fruit as warlords and mili-tias continue to wage war.

Mogadishu, once a large vacation and tourist desti-nation has now an uncertain future given the rise of Islamist groups like al-Shabab and Hisb al-Islam. The latest agenda in the war is the attack on the freedom of the media and silent persecution of journalists. Many countries worldwide have suf-fered war and have later been rebuilt. So we wonder, is there hope that Somalia will someday rise again to the glory it once was?

According to the Committee to Pro-tect Journalists (CPJ), in 2009, Somalia was the second most deadly country for journalists with nine media deaths. Here are some examples:

❚ February 2, 2009, Said Tahlil Ahmed, the director of Horn Afrik Radio, was assassinated in Mogadishu, just one day after the killing of another Radio Shabelle journalist, Hassan Mayow Hassan;

❚ Muktar Mohamed Hirabeand was shot dead in June 2009 by an unknown gunmen while walking in the main market of the Bakara area - an insurgent stronghold. He was the director of Shabelle Media Network, one of the largest media houses in Somalia.

❚ “It is so sad because I was walking with him minutes before he was killed, no sooner had we separated than he was killed in cold blood. In the same event, another Shabelle journalist, Ahmed Omar Hashi-Ahmed Tajir was also wounded,” says an eye witness;

❚ On December 3, 2009, three Somali journalists were killed after a suicide bomb hit a university graduation ceremony in Mogadishu. An addi-tional five other journalists were wounded in the event;

❚ The killing continues in 2010. The latest victim was Sheikh Nur Abkey, a veteran journalist who worked with the state-owned Radio Moga-dishu. According to Radio Moga-dishu staff, Abkey was abducted in the early morning of May 4th, and his body was found lying some-where in the capital that evening. The state radio reporters said insur-gents called the station soon after abducting Mr. Abkey and said they were going to kill him, which they then did.

Killing the freedom of speech:

The term “Sharia” means “way” or “path” - it is the legal framework within which the public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Muslim prin-ciples of jurisprudence. Sharia deals with many aspects of day-to-day life, including politics, economics, banking, business law, contract law, sexuality, and social issues. There is not a strictly uniform set of laws pertaining to Sharia, it is more like a system of devis-ing laws, based on the Qur’an, Hadith, and centuries of debate, interpretation, and precedent.

SHARIA:

AL-SHABABAl-Shabab literally means “the lads” in Somali. The group has been added to the United States’ list of “foreign ter-rorist organisations.” It is a radicalised group of young fighters who for the past 18 months have been conduct-ing an insurgency against the interim government and its Ethiopian allies while also attacking African Union peacekeepers. HISB AL-ISLAM (The Party of Islam) In Somalia, Hisb al-Islam is an umbrella organization for four Islamic parties and opposes Somalia’s unity govern-ment which was formed in Djibouti. The goals and objectives include:1. The full implementation of Islamic

Sharia law in Somalia;2. The withdrawal of all foreign troops

currently in Somalia, with Ethiopia agreeing to fully withdraw and never return;

3. The ability of Somalis to determine their future as it has been in the past;

4. The national unity government’s implementation of the Olima (Islamic scholars) recommendations, which include the withdrawal of foreign forces from Somalia within four months.

Fighting factions of Somalia:

NEW TIMES | JUNE 2010 | ISSUE # 79 | PAGE 5

FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO SPEAK!Press freedom is not something to be taken for granted, especially for journalists working in the world’s conflict zones, like Somalia. But even Denmark has its struggles. New Times journalist Zahra interviewed the President of the Danish Union of Journalists, Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, about the union’s role in pro-tecting freedom of speech, and the dilemma of journalists going into exile.

❚ By Zahra

NT: Thank you for letting me come. I’m a journalist from Somalia, but had to flee because I was threatened if I continued working there. Please tell me a little about the journalist union in Denmark.

MBB: We have good opportuni-ties in this country – we are maybe one of the best organ-ised unions in the world. We have close to 15,000 members in the Union of Journalists.

NT: What does freedom of speech mean to you?

MBB: It means that everybody has the right to have their own opinion and express them-selves. They have the right to write their opinions. This is how it is here [in Denmark, Ed.], but if you look worldwide, then there really is a need that we fight for freedom of speech.

NT: How do you feel when, for example, some journalists are killed because of their work?

MBB: It is terrible. It is very important that we demand that governments pursue the criminals who commit offenses against journalists. But I know that in a place like Somalia this

is not possible. I know it is so dangerous there.

NT: So is it possible for you to do something to help these perse-cuted journalists?

MBB: Yes indeed; we can show solidarity, but solidarity resolu-tions alone are not enough. I can give you an example. Last week we invited some exiled journalists from Iran together with three international organi-zations to listen to them and to work out what very practi-cal steps we could take to help both the journalists in exile and the journalists in Iran. As a result we are asking govern-ments in Europe to give asylum to journalists who are forced to flee. The Danish government is telling the President in Iran and the authorities in Somalia that they should be democratic and in consequence of this, our government should be ready to give asylum to journalists from those countries – and from other countries as well. Their journalism are needed here as well as back home.

Another thing we are doing is about safety. We try to give as many journalists as possible safety training to make it easier and safer to work as a journal-ist. The Danish Union of Jour-nalists is working together with

the International News Safety Institute (INSI) to organize safety training for local journa-lists in conflict zones. We are also working through the Inter-national Media Support (IMS) in Denmark on a larger range of security-related work, such as networking, safe houses, etc.

Apart from that we have a safety fund. Two weeks ago, we collected 85,000 Euros, for this safety fund. It is an interna-tional fund started 10-15 years ago. When journalists are in trouble, they can ask for sup-port from the safety fund and they will get it straight away - for example, it could be a flight ticket. The fund is for journal-ists from countries where the unions cannot do anything. If a journalist in Denmark has trou-ble, then we [the Danish Union, Ed.] can do something for them.

The fund is for people from your country, Iran, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and such places.

NT: Are there many cases?

MBB: Yes, unfortunately.

NT: What are you doing to pro-tect freedom of the press world-wide?

MBB: We work for it every day. We have to maintain freedom of press, and the only way to do this is to keep on fighting for it. Every time there is a little attempt here in Denmark to hide stories from the public, we must be there to make sure that we have press freedom. For example, in a case related to the Iraqi war two journalists and an editor from Berlingske Tidende, were accused of leaking confi-

dential papers from the mili-tary intelligence. We won that case, it cost a lot of money, but we did it.

If we had just said, ”well, we have press freedom, every-thing in Denmark is okay, we are happy” and just took care of salaries and holidays for our members, then we would very soon have problems with press freedom. We need to keep our own house clean and at the same time be ready to respond to requests for help from unions and associations in other coun-tries.

PAGE 6 | ISSUE # 79 | JUNE 2010 | NEW TIMES

UN MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS:

BOOK REVIEW: “INDVANDREREN” BY OLAV HERGELQ: How do they treat immigrants in Denmark?A: Well in Hellerup they give them big houses and cars with blue numberplates.

❚ By Patricia

Th e inhabitants of Hellerup and those like me from Eng-land aren’t what most people immediately associate with the word “immigrant” - cer-tainly not as it is often used in the Danish press. The main character in Olav Hergel’s book, Indvand reren (the immigrant), better fits the picture: born in Morocco, he came to Denmark as a young child together with his Muslim parents who work as a cleaner and in a factory.

Zaki insists he is Danish, he has just graduated from high school with excellent grades, has a Danish social security card, driving license and pass-port. The family work hard to be good Danish citizens and to integrate. However, things go terribly wrong when Zaki and his friends go into town to cele-brate their graduation and are confronted by a racist bouncer who will not allow them into a discothèque.

Indvandreren is a thriller but also a wake-up call for cosy Denmark. Set against a back-drop of present day Copenha-gen I could feel the events in the book happening around me, so much so that walking past Holmen’s Canal I found myself looking down into the water to see if I could spot Zaki’s “Stu-denterhue” (the hat all new high school graduates wear with pride). It’s the same effect that Dan Turell’s thrillers have.

DIGGING DEEPBeing a thriller, you need a character to investigate the crime and for this Hergel cre-ated Rikke Lyngvig, a journalist for Morgenavisen Danmark - a bourgeois paper tending to the right politically.

The descriptions of how Rikke – initially reluctantly - gets involved in investigating the story, her struggles with the editors to get her articles published, the deliberations of when to publish sensitive infor-

mation and issues about free-dom of speech enable Hergel to show how information is manipulated and how racism is institutionalized in Denmark.

Indeed Hergel says at one point that Denmark is rich and life is good, so what have jour-nalists to write about apart from the weather if not about problems with immigrants? In other words who is stoking this fire of xenophobia?

Hergel does not deny that there are many criminal ele-ments within the immigrant community; for example, he describes in detail the night Muddi’s gang goes on the ram-page terrorizing innocent citi-zens. But we also meet many Danes, including a school teacher, a police inspector and a judge who are caring people aware of the difficulties that immigrants face.

Most of Hergel’s frustration is vented towards newspaper edi-tors and politicians. In his post script, Hergel quotes Heinrich Böll: any similarity with living persons, institutions and media is neither intentional nor acci-dental, but unavoidable. Hergel weaves real places, people and events into the fabric of the story in a way that makes you laugh with a little “Aha!” when you spot the “real” politician, although the cousins in the Danish People’s Party were just too easy.

DARE TO DO THE RIGHT THINGHergel has a clear message: fear eats the soul and we must dare to do things differently. Julie, who recorded the incident out-side the club on her mobile phone dares to defy her father who is afraid that her life will be in danger if she testifies in court and Rabia, Zaki’s mother, dares to defy the golden rule of maintaining a wall of silence to defend your own.

Zaki is too scared to tell the truth to the police because it may incriminate his best friend

and Kristian Holm, the Prime Minister, is too scared to do the right thing and pardon Zaki and his friends because of his fear of his political rival and because his Liberal party rely on the Danish People’s Party, which would never give up an inch of “Danish” values.

In Indvandreren, Hergel exposes a moral vacuum in parts of Danish society, with examples in newspaper edito-rial offices, the present govern-ment, the prison service and in many individuals, Danes as well as immigrants. In my opinion he repeats and underlines the message that we need to find courage to “do the right thing”

just a bit too often, but unfor-tunately I suspect that those Danes who need to get the mes-sage won’t read this book, or if they do they will accuse Hergel of writing propaganda.

Indvandreren is a very good read and like Stieg Larrson, Hergel keeps the story moving as the investigating journalist gradually pieces together the facts of what happened on that fateful midsummer evening. Indvandreren is in Danish, but it’s quite easy reading and not too difficult for us immigrants as we struggle to master the language and get an under-standing of what is going on in Danish politics and society.

NEW TIMES | JUNE 2010 | ISSUE # 79 | PAGE 7

BECOMING A COPENHAGENERRecently the New Times team visited the Museum of Copenhagen where we had an interesting tour viewing the historical objects and hearing the stories behind them. It was a memorable visit. We learnt also about the forthcoming exhibition, “Becoming a Copenhagener.”

❚ By Sheila

Copenhagen was founded in the year 1167 and since then the city has been growing gradu-ally. People have been migrat-ing into the city for example for work, education or medi-cal attention. One person New Times talked with said she had come for a holiday and decided to stay. And not to forget to mention another reason - to seek asylum.

Apart from foreign immi-grants there are Danes who have moved into the city from Jutland and other parts of Den-mark. Some now consider them-selves as Copenhageners, while others do not. This depends on ones background and expecta-tions when moving here, and on the neighbourhood that one lives in.

“What rings in your mind when you hear the words “Becoming a Copenhagener”?, I asked Qamar, an asylum seeker who lives in the Sandholm Centre. She said, “I am happy to be a Copenhagener. I was a housewife back in my country, Somalia, where the situation is terrible due to the war and that is why I fled to Denmark

for safety. I do not know much about Copenhagen but am happy to be part of this society since my life is safe here.” She arrived with only two dresses and a bag on 2nd December 2009.

COLLECTING FRAGMENTS“Becoming a Copenhagener” is an exhibition which will be run-ning at the Museum of Copen-hagen in the autumn. The mis-sion now is to collect about 250 objects and both immigrants

and Danes who have moved to Copenhagen can contribute.

You can either lend or donate something you have that you closely associate with your

becoming a Copenhagener. It should be something with an interesting personal story behind it. For example, Olivia from South Africa has lent one of her favourite winter pyjama suits that kept her warm that terrible cold first winter. Other examples of objects include shoes, a scarf, a cigarette packet, ornaments and jewellery.

When you lend the object there is an agreement form that you are required to fill out. After the exhibition is over,

the object will be returned to you. In exceptional cases, the object can be returned to the owner earlier, for example if an asylum seeker has to leave the country immediately before the exhibition is over. But when you donate, it becomes the property of the museum.

Susan has lived in Copenha-gen for the last 13 years. She came with her husband who got a job here, they came from United Kingdom. Asked what she came with she said,

“I brought with me furniture, books and a weaving loom just to mention a few things”

When asked if she is willing to participate in exhibition, she replied,

“Yes, I will donate the first book that I read that helped me to learn Danish, it was a book by Dan Turell and it was a fun way to learn about Danes and Danish society”.

When asked how she felt when she first came, Susan said,

“We moved to Copenhagen and felt a certain freedom since we were new here and we could do things without worrying if anyone knew us. It was a big city and there was great ano-nymity.”

SWEDISH INITIATIVE“The original idea for the exhi-

bition came from Stockholm, where some years back they had a similar project called ‘How to become a Stockholmer’. The Copenhagen exhibition will open on the 14th October 2010 and it will run for a whole year. The museum still has space for some more objects,” said Mr Zaki who is a staff member at the Museum of Copenhagen and an assistant to the project.

It is 22 years now since Mr Zaki fled from Iraq to Copenha-gen with his family.

“I was a little boy then and I do not remember coming with something that I can donate or lend for the exhibition” he said. “I do consider myself as a Copenhagener statistically, but I do not recognise myself as one. I would say I’m a Dane with Kurdish background,” added Mr Zaki.

Everyone who has moved into the Copenhagen area is welcome to participate in the exhibition.

I think it will be such a great feeling to see people visiting the museum and admiring the sandals I lent. What are you going to donate or lend?

POSITIVE IMAGES ON THE GOSince the beginning of the year, New Times has been involved in a project called “Positive Images”. It was started by the British Red Cross in 2007, in response to the many negative portrayals of immigrants in the media. Positive Images, as the name itself implies, aims to show a different and more positive side of immigrants.

PAGE 8 | ISSUE # 79 | JUNE 2010 | NEW TIMES

❚ By Legend

Austria, Denmark and Greece are currently also involved in the Positive Images project and smaller pilot projects are being done in Cyprus, Malta and Belgium. In all countries, it is the Red Cross that is running the projects and whose task it will be to compare how best to communicate refugee issues and create awareness amongst school children about asylum seekers across Europe.

The target group of the Danish Positive Images project is children and young people between the ages of 12-25. The aim is to incorporate migration issues into the school curricu-lum. With this aim, the Positive Images team has gone to two schools in Zealand so far.

Knowing about asylum is one thing, but actually “meet-ing” an asylum seeker is another. With this in mind the team made their presentation interactive and included par-ticipatory activities. The main

theme and ideas for activi-ties came from the British Red Cross, but New Times has added a modified version of its ASIG (Asylum Seekers Information Group) presentation. We were greeted with mixed reactions from the different students in the different classes and the different schools. Some thought it was too complicated, while others thought it was perfect and that we gave them some-thing to ponder over.

INTERACTIONAs a follow-up to the visits, pupils were invited to write a short essay with the title, “If I were a refugee”, and subse-quently New Times received eight fine replies. There were two winning essays (see next page), but the submis-sions were all so good that all eight have been published on the New Times website, www.newtimes.dk.

The members of the Positive Images group are all excited and enthusiastic about the pro-

ject and see it as a very encour-aging experience - we all have learnt a lot from the students.

Sarah said “What was really interesting was the feedback about the exercises by the pupils which we then compared with our own assessments; it all contributes to the learning process.”

”The Danish education system is so different from that in most other countries, espe-cially the expectation that stu-dents should take responsibility for their own learning. It has been a puzzling experience for many of the team”, explained Patricia.

Sheila, who only attended the second of the trips, thought it was interesting because “they [students Ed.] don’t know any-thing about asylum seekers in their home [Denmark Ed.] although it’s a current affairs issue.”

DIFFICULT BUT IMPORTANTJob said, “I have the feeling that the teachers are not teaching

the pupils enough about cur-rent issues and ongoing debates in Denmark. Also, we had a bad experience at one of the schools where some of the students didn’t pay attention in the group work and this made it dif-ficult for us to concentrate and communicate with the willing ones.”

Katz, an experienced ASIG and Positive Images member, was very thoughtful about his answer and said,

“It’s a good initiative but the harvest will be in the long run. Hopefully our grandchildren will live to see the fruits, and the yield will be that the Danish society understands why people seek asylum and treat them fairly. I think the project is being done on a small scale, it should be on a wider scale and involve the mainstream media, i.e. more talk shows, radio and newspaper columns.”

Katz continued by saying, “The trips were successful but sometimes disappointing when the audience was not receptive.

There is a desperate need for a mature audience and maybe some people in influential polit-ical positions.”

The future hopes of Positive Images is to launch a nation-wide campaign and to have schools across Denmark com-peting in the essay competi-tion, while at the same time, breaking the ignorance which is very prevalent in some parts of Danish society. Ignorance of who and what asylum seekers and immigrants are, and also what they can do to contribute to the society.

Positive Images is funded by the EU.Any school wishing to participate should contact Mette Schmidt mns@redcross.dk A visit is free of charge. For more information see www.newtimes.dk

NEW TIMES | JUNE 2010 | ISSUE # 79 | PAGE 9

POSITIVEESSAYS

WINNER 1By ”BS”, Bagsværd Kostskole og Gymnasium “If I Were a Refugee…” I can’t even imagine how painful it must beTo have to flee from your home and from where you grew up.To leave your culture, your homeland, and your houseFor something different and unknown.To have to flee, not because you want toBut because you need to, because you’re compelled to do it.To have to leave your friends and family behind,Running away from whatever dangerThat chases you away from your home.To go with no more clothes than those you´re wearing,And no more than your purseAnd whatever you’ve got in your pockets.Not to know whether you will survive the nightOr tomorrow, or the day after that.Not to know whether you’ll ever see your family againor not,And not knowing what will happen to them.Not to know where to go, or how to get food,Or where to sleep.Not to know whether you’ll ever feel safe again,Or to know whom to trustAnd whom not to trust.Not to know what will happen to you if you succeed,Or what will happen if you not succeed.To maybe not know where your journey will end,Or how to get there.To might have to pay a lot of moneyTo get help to flee or to get a passport,And not being sure if you’ll reach your destination.To have to make a new life somewhere,Where you don’t know anyoneAnd probably not know the spoken language,Or the different culture and traditions.To have to waitBefore you’re allowed to get an apartment, a job, and a life in the new countryTo have to eat different food,And live after different standards and other norms.Not to know if your education can be used in the country,Or if you have to get a measly paid jobTo be able to survive. It’s all about survivalAnd no matter what, your life will never be the same...

WINNER 2By Mathias Høgh Titelbech, Bagsværd Kostskole og Gymnasium “If I were a refugee...” (Rap/Poem) All alone, always coldChilled to the bone, no one to hold.My life could be in danger and I’m not very oldEverybody’s looking for their Acapulco gold Getting what they want is all they care forThey’ll do anything to get it and moreThey’ll rape and torture and steal and killThere’s nothing they won’t do to get their will So now I have no choice but to fleeGot to get out, before they bring me to my kneesI take what I need, and leave what I can spareBut the pain it leaves me, is one that I can’t bear Now my back is facing what I left behindAnd the road ahead properly won’t be kindBut I’ve got to leave and in my mindI convince myself that I will be allright with time I need to get far away, that’s what I intendnot just a neighboring country but another continentSomewhere far away, where everything is differentSomewhere where your not caved in by cement Here I go with no real directionJust looking for a good locationEven though I have no reservationHoping people will understand my situation And the place that I’m caught, that’s where I stopAnd if I’m not caught, then I stop when I dropThen there’s politics and governmentJust want to get it over with so I can live again

PAGE 10 | ISSUE # 79 | JUNE 2010 | NEW TIMES

AFTER THE ‘POSITIVE’ PART II

More than a year ago, I received a letter. Not just any letter, but the one to rule them all - I got my ‘positive’ [answer to asylum application, Ed.] and soon after that I moved to Næstved Kommune. See www.newtimes.dk for AFTER THE ‘POSITIVE’ PART I, where I describe what happened during my first days as an immigrant in Denmark. This is the sequel – you may use it as a guide when you hopefully get your ‘positive’.

❚ By Ahmed Dharbaxo

After one year in Næstved Center, I am taking classes at the language school, attend-ing driving school, I have been elected vice-chairman of “Næst Ved Afrika”, a new NGO in Næstved, and am working as a contact person for the kom-mune’s Youth Network. How did I get here?

DISCOVERY 1: THE SOCIAL WORKER IS A CRUCIAL FACTOR! The social workers can help you to change your life, they can light your way to personal development within your new host community. When you get a positive and are allocated to a kommune, your chance of suc-cessful integration depends on your contact person at the Job Center. The Job Center person-nel have to be smart, creative, and have strong communica-tion skills. They should under-stand that newcomers have different personal backgrounds, and most of them come from war-ravaged countries. Most social workers realise that many asylum seekers have been traumatized and may lack con-fidence. These social workers can help to change your life. They can restore your hope and your dreams of becoming a suc-cessful person.

An experienced social worker at the Næstved Job Center once told me:

“We treat our clients fairly and with mutual respect - we just advise and consult, but they decide and commit.”

On the other hand, a social worker may also discourage you and make your life more diffi-cult. I have observed that in the same Job Center - some refugees win and others lose, depend-ing on which social worker they are assigned to. Although it depends on the individual’s commitment, I still believe that a social worker is an important part of the success of the new immigrant after receiving their positive. I am very glad that I had a good contact person at the Job Center, who spared no efforts in helping me realise my goals.

DISCOVERY 2: THE DANISH LANGUAGE IS THE KEY TO YOUR SUSTAINABILITY!Do not miss your Danish classes. Be committed and believe that you can learn the language in one to two years. The language is vital to fully integrating into the host community. Read the free daily news letters; listen to the FM radio in your town regularly; watch movies trans-lated with Danish subtitles – turn off the the volume and try to understand the whole movie by reading the subtitles. I have experienced that children can be the best language teachers. Do not hesitate to talk with your neighbourhood teenagers, as they speak more clearly, and

it is easier to understand them. They do not focus on the gram-mar but you can learn a lot of conversation from them. Stop talking English or any other lan-guage. Do not be shy to speak your little, very broken Danish.

DISCOVERY 3: SOCIAL ACTIVITIES LEAD YOU TO BETTER INTEGRATION! One can not reach his/her goals of integration unless they join one or more social activities. Find out if there is an ethnic comunity-based organization in your new town. There you may find an organization formed by your own people. Once you get the membership criteria, you have to apply and join. Attend their meetings regularly. For example, in Næstved, I helped form an Afrian organization named “Næst Ved Afrika”. One of its goals is to help African res-idents who move to the region after they get positive to inte-grate better.

On the other hand, there are several sport and art clubs in most of Denmark’s cities. There, you can make new friends and learn about the cultural atti-tudes in Denmark.

DISCOVERY 4: BE PATIENT WITH THE FAMILY REUNIFICATION!Family reunification is a long, slow process - you should not expect to be united with your family soon after you apply. I applied in June 2009 and am

still waiting - if your case is not complicated, the process should take about six months. In Janu-ary 2010, I was asked to take a DNA test, as were my chil-dren and wife. I recently got the results of the DNA test [proving my family relations] - and now I hope that my family will join me soon.

DISCOVERY 5: WATCH OUT FOR COMPLICATED LOANS!Do not ever try to get a loan from any commercial or service agency unless you have a good income and understand about loan, credit and interest rate policies. I have experienced that some people meet hard times with this issue, as they easily accept an invitation for credit or long-term loan repayment, but fail to pay regularly, which results in them finding them-selves in a trap. They are for-warded to INKASSO (debt recov-ery), that generates black list of those who fail to pay outstand-ing bills. Once on the black list, the amount of interest you pay per month increases dramati-cally.

DISCOVERY 6: FIND A JOB AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE!You have to be aware that monthly support money from the kommune is very little, and only just enough to get by. Most people receive about DKK 3.000 per month after house rent and tax are paid. Thus, it is a good idea to start looking for a job

as soon as you are placed in a kommune. The Job Center can help you with all information related to possible employment opportunities.

Look for a job that suits your career and avoid relying on the aid money. Work hard to get a job – even if you get a part-time job, you can ask your Job Center to change your language school into evening classes.

Remember, with the new law you can apply for perma-nent residence permit after four years if you manage to live with-out receiving any aid money for two years. Some individuals used to send almost half of their monthly support money back to their families - this resulted in constraints and difficulties in their lives. It is too hard to sur-vive on DKK 1.500 for a whole month. With a salary, you can live well, cover all your basic needs, and even support your family members back in your home country. When you find a job, make sure you respect the working hours and accept con-structive feedback from your immediate supervisors.

NEW TIMES | JUNE 2010 | ISSUE # 79 | PAGE 11

A CROATIAN IN DENMARKIt was just so fitting that we should meet her at Bethesda [see fact box, Ed.]. This is the place where she was taught Danish and fell in love with the language so much, that she is now teaching it to others who are very much like she was just a few years ago….

❚ By Shiva and Heather

Who would have thought that by seeking asylum in Denmark, a person would learn to love the country so much that they would actually end up teach-ing Danish? Well, that’s exactly what happened to Milica Stani-vukovic. She feels complete when giving back to the people who gave her so much.

She has such a wonderful smile and is so content, that at first sight, one would never guess the heartache and trials that 69-year-old Milica has been through during her 13-year stay here.

Milica was born and raised in Croatia, and then went on to study in Belgrade, where she continued to live and work for the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 30 years. When she first came to Denmark with her then 14-year-old son in 1997 she worked for the Yugoslavian Embassy.

She fell in love with Den-mark and the Danish lan-guage. In fact, she still cannot get enough of reading Danish books and experiencing Danish museums, shows and concerts. On the two occasions when we had the privilege of meeting up with her, Milica was on her way to the ‘Black Diamond’ library to return books.

LINGUISTIC SALVATIONReading is Milica’s predomi-nant passion:

“Books have saved my life a few times. I studied philosophy and read Kierkegaard’s books in my own language, so when I was really down, I just read Kierkegaard in Danish, and even though I didn’t understand the language, it helped me to feel better, and slowly I started to understand the language,” she said.

It was in 2002 that Milica decided to seek asylum as war raged in her hometown of Bel-grade. She was deeply hurt by the war going on in Croatia and that so many people were being killed, and it was during her 4-year stay at Sandholm Center that she became terri-bly depressed. But then she was introduced to Bethesda.

It was one Sunday at church that Majken from IKC [see fact box, Ed.] invited her to come along to the free Danish classes offered there. She started going twice a week and passed through all the levels easily. After she had received her per-mission to live in Denmark she started going to the Hellerup Sprogcenter, where she passed the DP3 exam.

She continued going to Bethesda and then one day she was asked if she would like to teach Danish, which of course she gladly accepted. Her teach-ing job is voluntary and she receives no sort of payment, but what she does get is the satis-faction of meeting new people and helping them the way she

was helped when she was feel-ing down. About her teaching job at Bethesda, she says with a smile,

“I am very happy when I come here and meet all the beautiful, young people from all over the world. It inspires me very much.”

AT EASEAfter sitting in on one of her les-sons, we could see that she was well-suited to the job. She has incredible patience and one can see that she really enjoys doing what she does.

After the lesson we asked Rosa, one of Milica’s students from China, about being in Mil-ica’s class and she said,

“Milica is a good teacher. Sometimes I understand, but other times I don’t and then she helps me to understand. I like coming to Danish class.”

Milica lives by herself in a peaceful little apartment in Charlottenlund. She loves the outdoors and meeting new

people. When she is not teach-ing, she spends her time read-ing, going to concerts, art and other museum exhibitions and going for walks by the sea. She also enjoys going to church as she loves the Danish hymns.

When we asked Milica if she has any advice that she could offer to others who move to Denmark, she said,

“Be honest in yourself. See if you have the power for the fight to reach your goal. Be strong, and try to get through. Learn the language, and open all your senses: listen, talk, find places and take part in cultural, social and political life. If you want to learn the culture, you should take part in it. Through language and art, you feel the spirit of the Danish nation.”

Milica no longer misses Croa-tia. She says,

“Oh no, Croatia is only two hours away. Now I feel at home here in Denmark.”

Internationalt Kristent Center (IKC) is a Christian ministry where everybody is welcome. It is located in Bethesda, Rømersgade 17 just next to Nørreport station and offers free Danish classes (Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am-12 noon for women and at 2 pm-4 pm for everybody) and free English classes (Monday and Wednesday at 10 am-12 noon for everybody). Additional lin-guistic, cultural, and spiritual activities are offered. Their website is www.ikcenter.dk

Bethesda:

ISLAND OF HOPE, ISLAND OF TEARS

There was a time – a surprisingly short while ago - when it was the destiny of many Europeans to be poor, hungry, unemployed and persecuted. Life was so painful that many chose to abandon their homes in Europe and travel to the USA. The majority arrived at Ellis Island, one of the world’s first official reception centres for immigrants.

❚ By Ole

Ellis Island is a small island at the entrance to New York har-bour. Between 1892 and 1954 it served as a reception centre for more than 17 million Europeans who wanted to immigrate to the USA.

Today, the island is a museum. The impressive build-ings, which have been lovingly restored, offer exhibits that tell the thought-provoking story about the great migration: the causes, the journey itself, the processing at Ellis Island – and the often harsh, new life of the immigrant. In addition, using computers, visitors can find information about relatives who have been through the eye of the needle at Ellis Island.

OUTLINE The story of the “Great Atlantic Migration” can obviously not be told in any great detail here, but the following may well be called important features of emigra-tion from Europe to America.

From the 1830s to the start of the First World War in 1914, more than 30 million Europe-

ans chose to seek their fortune in the USA. 1907 saw a record of almost 1.3 million Europeans entering the U.S.

The soon-to-be immigrants’ disillusionment and eagerness to get away from Europe was caused by population explo-sion, unemployment, social inequality, political / religious repression as well as wars and conflicts. The U.S. enticed the people with its promise of land “almost for free” and “enough of everything for everyone”.

INEQUALITY ABOARD In the beginning the immigrants travelled by sailing ship, which meant a journey of six weeks. With the coming of steam ships, the travel time decreased to a maximum of two weeks. Some could afford to enjoy life in first or second class, where the ser-vice included quick and easy processing of the immigration application during the crossing – and consequently avoiding a stay on Ellis Island.

However, most found them-selves in third class, which meant cold, crowded beds, lousy hygiene, infectious diseases and

poor food - plus a compulsory medical examination and legal scrutiny on arrival at the Island.

The proceedings at Ellis Island usually lasted between three and five hours if the immigrant’s health and papers were in order. Doctors conducted a quick survey of major illnesses and immigra-tion inspectors cross-examined the often exhausted Europeans based on the results of the ques-tionnaire they had to fill out before departing from Liver-pool, Bremerhaven or one of the other popular emigrant ports in Europe.

All the investigations took place in the impressive “Reg-istry Room” – a huge and not exactly comfortable hall with American flags and plain tiles on the floor, walls and ceiling.

THE RARE ‘NO’ During all the years only two percent – about 240,000 – migrants were refused entry into the United States; a sur-prisingly low proportion seen through contemporary Danish eyes. The refusals were usu-ally due to the person having

a contagious disease, being a suspected criminal or being otherwise unable to contribute to society.

Ellis Island was the “Island of Tears” for the Europeans who were sent home, but “Island of Hope” for the rest. Many had their hopes exchanged for joy and jubilation when, after the proceedings, they reached the end of a special staircase divided into three (one row for the rejected, one for the approved and one for those who required medical care). Here, the lucky ones finally faced ‘the

kissing post’; a wooden column, which marked the spot where friends and relatives had been waiting for hours. The others were either put on a ship back to Europe or sent to the hospital on Ellis Island.

NEW LIFE A considerable part of the exhibition deals very honestly with the reality that awaited the newly-minted Americans when they landed in Manhat-tan - either to stay in the over-crowded area or to take the train onwards. The USA rarely proved to be the land of milk and honey, but rather one of blood, sweat and tears. Working hard from morning to evening was the way forward - even for children.

Eventually it dawned on the authorities that an effort was needed to assemble the new

population groups under the American umbrella. Teaching programmes with subjects like English, hygiene and American history were launched.

For many, the army was the first unifying factor. During the First World War, one of the recruiting songs was very aptly “Let’s All Be American Now”. But that is a different story.

In my eyes the museum at Ellis Island is first and foremost a celebration of diversity that shows people’s capacity for acknowledging their roots – individually and nationally.

Maybe some day Danish immigrants will get their own museum too?

Sources: EMU.dk, U.S. National Park Service,

Harvard Guide to Ameri-can Ethnic Groups

PAGE 12 | ISSUE # 79 | JUNE 2010 | NEW TIMES

MR D.N. MARK PART 3Read parts 1 and 2 on www.newtimes.dk

“NO MORE MR NICE GUY”Recap: On reaching Redcrest’s farm, the animals were just in time for dinner. Mr D.N. Mark felt even more disturbed by the compassion that Redcrest was showing these creatures...

As Mr D.N. Mark walked away from Redcrest’s farm, he spoke to himself,

“I leased that farm to him; I gave him the land and the house. But I can see that he is too compassionate; he shouldn’t be or else there will be more animals flooding my estate. I ought to look closely into what he is doing so perhaps I should get one of my sons to work with him.”

He wondered which of his sons would do the job for him; he decided on his most trusted son, Paul Ice.

Paul Ice was a very tough young man, who rarely smiled. What he loved most was to protect his father’s estates, wealth and sovereignty. He was always ready to fight off any animals coming from far-off lands attempting to occupy his father’s estates. He would never be hesitant to do his father’s work, whatever it entailed.

D.N. Mark turned back to where he had left Redcrest, call-ing to him,

“Redcrest, I have noticed that you seem to be very kind to these animals, and that is prob-ably why they keep coming to my estate. I do appreciate your work, but I think you shouldn’t do it all by yourself, so I am sending my son Paul Ice to come and help you. Specifi-cally, he will help you discover the origin of these animals and critically assess if they qualify to be accepted into my estate. We must follow the process all of us estate owners have agreed is to be followed.”

Redcrest wondered what D.N. Mark was up to. He then responded and said,

“It is okay with me and I hope that we shall be able to work well together.”

With that, D.N.Mark walked around Redcrest’s farm, looking for a good room where Paul Ice could have an office. “Right here!” said D.N. Mark, as he looked at Redcrest’s bedroom, which was situated near to the entrance.

“But this happens to be my bedroom, and I chose this par-ticular room because it is next to the gate. This way I can always help any animals that might be arriving,” said Redcrest.

“Yes! and that’s why I also prefer that room to be used by my son,” replied D.N. Mark.

This meant that Redcrest had to remove all his belong-ings from the room, and have it arranged for Paul Ice.

With a big smile, D.N. Mark said, “I will be back tomor-row with Paul Ice and he will arrange the room as he likes.”

D.N. Mark asked for the keys to the room and left. Redcrest was left in deep thought as to why Paul Ice would be brought in to help him with his work. To the best of Redcrest’s knowl-edge Paul Ice was known to be the least friendly of all Mr D.N. Mark’s sons. Nevertheless, Red-crest went on with his normal duties of caring for the animals and trying to find rooms where

the new animals could spend the night.

Early the next morning, just as Redcrest was prepar-ing breakfast for the animals he saw D.N. Mark with his son, Paul Ice. They came with a horse-drawn carriage full of many things, things that could be seen vividly from afar: huge chains and huge padlocks.

Redcrest stopped what he was doing and went over to meet them as they approached the gate. On closer look he saw all the things that were in the carriage including tables, boxes of files and binoculars.

He thought about asking them what the meaning of all the stuff was. He refrained though and simply offered to help them unpack and arrange Paul Ice’s new room.

D.N. Mark told him that it was okay to help with the unpacking, but it wasn’t okay to help with the arranging of the room, as there was a lot of con-fidential material that Redcrest should not see. He told Redcrest that if he knew of these confi-dential things, it would prob-ably jeopardise the work Paul Ice had to do.

After unpacking, Redcrest left the two gentlemen and went back to the work he was doing.

When D.N.Mark and Paul Ice had finished, it was time for D.N. Mark to show Paul Ice around Redcrest’s farm. As they walked around, D.N. Mark started to smile knowing in his heart that at last there would be a way of controlling the flow of animals into his estate.

When they reached the room where Redcrest was busy feed-ing animals they were not too happy with the kind of compas-sion that he was showing to the animals. The animals were all crowded around Redcrest, and seemed to be happy being with him. At this, D.N.Mark whis-pered to Paul Ice, “This is what I’ve been telling you about, he’s too kind to these animals.” With a grim look Paul Ice whispered back, “That will soon be over.”

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Read part 4 in the next

issue of New Times.

NEW TIMES | JUNE 2010 | ISSUE # 79 | PAGE 13

PAGE 14 | ISSUE # 79 | JUNE 2010 | NEW TIMES

ESCAPE FROM NIGERIA PART 2Read part 1 in the previous issue of New Times or at www.newtimes.dk

My escape was miraculous but toil-

some. Our truck had left us as soon

as we had come down from it, but

on the other side of the road there were

many men with small motorbikes

on standby to take us to the town of

Agadez, Niger.

❚ By Aluko

We had to pay the bikers for their service as well, but since I had no more money with me, I had to walk 10 kilo metres to the town. When I got to the park I was surprised to see so many people of different nationali-ties - people from every part of west Africa. Many were going to Morocco, others to Libya. How you make your connec-tion depends on how finan-cially buoyant you are. If you are going to Libya, there is either Durkou or the Arlit con-nection.

If you are financially handi-capped, there is no alternative but to take Arlit and prepare yourself for climbing Mount Organ in Djanet and three days of trekking from Algeria to Libya. I took the Arlit con-nection. It is not far at all from Agadez to Arlit, but at Arlit we stayed another two days before we left for Asamaka.

Asamaka is in the desert between Niger and Algeria. It is an army camp with only one building. We arrived in the even-ing and the truck drove straight to the army camp. Immediately, we were surrounded by sol-diers. They ordered us to come down from the truck and queue behind one another. They counted us and started search-ing everybody. Both our persons and our bags were carefully

searched and then we were told to remove our clothes and remain naked while our bodies were searched again. It took more than five hours before the searching ended and we were finally released after they had taken all our money and valu-ables.

LIKE SARDINES IN A TINAs we came out of the army’s

hand the smugglers were on alert to receive us for our next journey to Tammanrasset in Algeria. Although I don’t know exactly how many of us there were in the queue, I think it was close to a hundred people and there were only two Toyota land cruisers there to convey all of us. To my surprise, they man-aged to transport us all.

Then the journey to Tam-manrasset started. It took three days to reach Tamman-

rasset and we were dropped off in the desert about fifteen kilometres away from the town. As we passed by some of their small huts, the villag-ers greeted us in their local language and offered us some water and date fruit.

We got to a place in the town called Shato, which is a ghetto for many travellers so the police come there often and arrest people. We were told to be care-ful and vigilant. We lived there for more than a week before we made another connection to Djanet. At Djanet those going to Morocco separated from those going to Libya and there we looked for a geed (guide) to lead us to Ghat or Barigat in Libya.

My experience during those three days of trekking, is some-thing I will never forget in all my lifetime. It was like going to the frontline of war; even the

army training is not as tough as that. To explain it now will take too much time, but perhaps in the future I will try to explain everything in more detail, if God permits.

TORTURE AND FAECESNevertheless, after three

nights and three days of inten-sive trekking, we reached a small village called Barigat in Libya. At Barigat, we suffered further police interrogation until they realised that one of the men in our group spoke Arabic. They accused the man of being a smuggler who had led us to Libya and tortured him further, but they released the rest of us and offered us “accommodation” for the night.

The place they took us to was terrible - not at all conducive to human habitation. There was garbage everywhere: rotting

animal skins and bones, and the floor was covered with goat faeces. The stench was disgust-ing! After hours of intensive cleaning, we managed to make the place a little better - at least to pass the night.

The next morning, many people came to ask if there were craftsmen of any kind among us, like mechanics, brick layers, carpenters, or those interested in working on farms. Those of us who had these professions were lucky - to get a job while the rest were left to go and try their luck elsewhere. Since I could not get a job in Barigat, I proceeded to Awbari, then from Awbari to Murzuq.

I finally got farm work in Umm Al Aranib, where I worked for more than seven years. The longer I stayed in Umm Al Aranib, the greater the danger my life was in, due to the fact that people who worked there for many years and did not leave, could be slain or get into big trouble with their boss, or somebody else, because they began to think that that person must have saved up a lot of money during their stay.

Since I could not return to my country again due to perse-cution and insecurity about cult ritualism and politics, I decided to cross the sea from Sabratah, Libya to Europe. After five days on a small boat with about thirty people I arrived in Europe.

NEW TIMES | JUNE 2010 | ISSUE # 79 | PAGE 15

Mad / Exiles:”Conversation

wide of the mark”

Jimmy / Boxers:”Close encounters of the Danish kind”

SPIRITUAL FOOD – SECOND SERVINGHi my dear friends. Team New Times continues its menu of what you can do for free in and around the wonderful city of Copenhagen. Getting out of your asylum centre will change your mood quite a bit - try it and see.

❚ By John

For starters, I would like recommend the Copen-

hagen Jazz Festival, which will take place this

year from the 2nd to the 11th of July. The venues

are all over the town and if the weather is good

you can sit like a tourist and listen to the music

all day long.For the main course, I have four recommenda-

tions on my menu:

The David Collection which is located in the heart

of Copenhagen. The museum is situated in the

building previously occupied by the prominent

lawyer of the Royal High Court, C. L. David (1878-

1960). The museum comprises three permanent

collections that started back in the days of its

founder, C. L. David: the Collection of Islamic Art,

the Collection of European 18th Century Art, and

the Collection of Danish Early Modern Art.

Many specialists consider the Islamic col-

lection to be the biggest and most interesting

in Scandinavia. The David collection offers free

guided tours for school pupils on Wednesday and

Thursday mornings.

KRONPRINSESSEGADE 30

1306 KØBENHAVN K

WWW.DAVIDMUS.DK

Museum of Copenhagen (Bymuseet)

Exhibitions, workshops, walking tours, lectures,

and much, much more. The Museum of Copen-

hagen offers a wide range of activities that will

help you become familiar with, understand and

experience the uniqueness of the capital, both as

a modern metropolis and as a historical city. Free

entrance on Fridays.

VESTERBROGADE 59

1620 KØBENHAVN V

WWW.COPENHAGEN.DK

Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art is an exhibition

building in which you can experience contem-

porary and alternative art. The place is named

after a group of artists who occupied a building

in protest against the rule that you must have

permission to work in Denmark to exhibit in

Royal Academy of Art. There is free entrance on

Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm for a 20-minute

preview.

OSLO PLADS 3

2100 KØBENHAVN Ø

TRANSPORT: S-TRAIN TO ØSTERPORT STATION

WWW.DENFRIE.DK

Karen Blixen Museum is something special for lit-

erature lovers who know about Karen Blixen and

one of her most remarkable novels, Out of Africa.

Her very own museum is located in her original

family house where she was born and grew up.

The exhibition includes things from her life in

both Denmark and Africa. There is a beautiful

park around the house with lovely views and it

is very close to Sandholm Center. There is free

entance on Wednesdays from 13:00-16:00.

RUNGSTED STRANDVEJ 111

2960 RUNGSTED KYST

TRANSPORT: S-TRAIN TO RUNGSTED KYST

STATIONWWW.KAREN-BLIXEN.DK

Lastly, I would like to suggest something for des-

sert. It is very refreshing after long hot day to

have a swim right in the middle of town. The free

open-air pool is in the harbour right on Islands

Brygge, close to Islands Brygge metro station.

ENJOY!

Photo: Pernille Klemp

Photo: Christian Alsing