Activism Across Borders
- Date
-
Tue 6 May 2025
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
- Venue
- The Diamond, Lecture Theatre 2
In partnership with SYMAAG
South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group (SYMAAG) is a group of volunteers and activists from all over the world. We campaign for the rights of all migrants and against racism in all its forms. Many of us are here because of our activism for system change in our home countries, and we bring this lived experience to the struggle against oppression and for migrant rights here in the UK.
This event will consist of a panel discussion and Q&A with three local activists and SYMAAG members: Manuchehr Maleki Dizaji (Iran), Maria Vasquez-Aguilar (Chile) and Boucka Koffi (Afrika). Facilitated by one of SYMAAG’s co-chairs, Emma Rattenbury, the session will explore the complexity, resonances and value of their contribution to the fight for freedom here in the UK.
Event Format & Information
- Doors open 6:45pm, start time 7pm
- Panel presentation and discussion, followed by Q & A with audience
- This event is in a lecture theatre so the audience won't be able to move around easily
- End time 8:30pm
Accessibility
Accessibility information for The Diamond can be found on AccessAble: The Diamond Building & Lecture Theatre 2.
- Seating: Unreserved seating is available at this event, but if you’d like us to reserve a seat for you or you have specific requirements eg. front row seat, end of aisle, please get in touch.
- Masks: FFP2 masks will be available for free.
- Audio: Microphones will be used at this event.
- Quiet space: A quiet space is not available at this event.
If you have any questions regarding accessibility for this event, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Boucka Koffi is a dedicated pan-Afrikan activist who advocates for the dismantling of the racist colonial borders imposed on indigenous communities in Afrika by western imperialism, as a prerequisite for self-determination, equality, equity and justice. He has been actively involved in various social and political campaigns including endeavours to alleviate the unjust debt burden on countries in the Global South through the Jubilee 2000 campaign. As a forcibly displaced member of the Afrikan diaspora, Boucka served as the Immigration Secretary for the Ivorian Relief Action Group (IRAG) and currently holds the position of Chair at VVIDY (Voice for Voiceless Immigration Detainees – Yorkshire), Boucka believes migration should be viewed as a form of resistance against imperialism. Boucka also argues that the term "asylum seekers" is outdated and he advocates for forcibly displaced individuals and campaigners to use the term “freedom seekers" instead.
Maria arrived as a child refugee of Chilean parents who were exiled following the Pinochet coup. She is a lifelong activist and trade unionist. She co-founded the Chile Solidarity Network and Chile 50 Years UK, and is currently doing a PhD on the political activism of Chilean refugees in the UK.
I am Manuchehr, I have been in the UK for 27 years. I was the director of a well-established book publishing company in Iran, but couldn't carry on because our publication was criticising the regime. Upon arriving in the UK, I initially founded a Persian language school for Iranian and Afghan children. I began my activism with Amnesty International and the Stop the War Coalition during the Iraq war, joined SYMAAG and have been the co-chair of the group since 2016. During the pandemic, I founded the Yorkshire Refugees Foodbank. I have always worked towards education and engagement with universities, with the aim of raising awareness and shedding light on the crucial question, why do refugees come to the UK or Europe?
