Stephen Silverwood is the founder and manager of Refugee Radio.
How does it feel to be a castaway in the UK today? Our latest book is based on interviews with refugees and asylum seekers living in Brighton and East Sussex, and the people who work with those communities. It tells their stories, in their own words...
Kumar talks about the horrific persecution he faced as a gay man growing up in India and his desperate search for somewhere that would accept him. “The main thing in England is that homosexuality is legal. I can freely live openly with my sexuality...
Steve and Ayah talk to David Miliband about the International Rescue Committee and their work with refugees around the world.
A selection of tunes from our house band, the Refugee Radio Orchestra, recorded in 2010. Hope you enjoy this fusion of refugee culture!
Refugee Radio Orchestra- Superstar
Refugee Radio Orchestra- Moon
An in-depth interview with Kate Jessop, senior immigration lawyer from Brighton Housing Trust, recorded as part of the Castaway Heritage project by Ayah and Steve. “I’ve been practising here since 2001, but I’ve actually been working in asylum and...
Peter from Zimbabwe talks about his work supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children with mental health needs. We discuss how they struggle with social isolation and adapting to a new life in Brighton without their families around to help them.
“It was a nightmare, wasn’t good at all. According to the Home Office, they can come and take you away but you can’t say no. They can take you anywhere they want to, because the moment you say no, they can put you in detention. So they can take you...
Luqman Onikosi was born in a tiny village near the lakes and forests along the river Niger. I first met him when he was a student at the University of Sussex, about ten years ago. At that time he was the president of the All-Africa Student Union and...
Ayah interviews Esraa, a young woman from Syria who came to live in Hastings with her family as part of the resettlement scheme. We find out about the shock of relocation and the challenge of adapting to cultural differences.
“I arrived into this country over twenty years ago and I’m currently working as an interpreter. I started interpreting on a voluntary basis in hospitals and then I thought I liked it, and then I thought I would like to have this as a career. It’s...