The annually-published festival catalogue contains photos, biographies and selected bibliographies of all participating writers. Since 2003 the authors have additionally been asked to answer a selected question in a concise and spontaneous way. In 2009 and 2008 we have inquired in the “Berlin.Views” of our guests. In the three years before
Traditionally and historically, the United States of America is seen as the ultimate country of immigration. During the past decades, there have been several waves of immigration. There are not only numerous countries from which these immigrants come, seeking better opportunities and a better quality of life, but also numerous
Since the beginning of 2014, the Ukraine has been dominated by military conflicts. The east of the country has been most gravely affected. There, pro-Russian separatists have been fighting for the independency of the region as well as the area being more connected to Russia. This intention is supported by
Turkey is both a country of immigration and emigration. Because of its shared border with Syria, it is the country housing the majority of the Syrian refugees (more then 2 million), even though they rarely come to Turkey directly but rather enter the country through Lebanon. The EU hopes for
After a referendum in which 99 % of its population voted yes to independence, South Sudan declared itself a separate state from Sudan on July 9th 2011. As a result, large numbers of people migrated to South Sudan. However, with the start of the civil war in South Sudan in
Since 2011 there has been a civil war between the Syrian government, oppositional groups and ISIS. The latter one plays a special part in this. While the government and the opposition are fighting about who is in charge in Syria, ISIS wants to disestablish Syria as a country and to
A large number of Nigerian refugees are fleeing from the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram, which consists of many smaller splinter groups and repeatedly attacks in the north-east of Nigeria. Carsten Luther, editor of ZEIT ONLINE, explains that besides ethnic and religious aspects, the extreme poverty of the people have
On May 13th 2016, the German Parliament approved a bill which classified the Maghreb states as safe countries of origin. For Moroccan citizens hoping to immigrate to Germany, this meant that their cases will likely be dismissed as there is no legal presumption that applicants from the Maghreb states face
The Baltic States have little experience with the reception and handling of refugees. Accordingly, few people are granted asylum in Lithuania at all. In 2015, 300 people applied for asylum in Lithuania, but more than half of these applications were denied. Refugees from countries close to Lithuania, for example Russia,
The biggest refugee camp in the world is located in Kenya, in Dadaab. Currently there are about 350.000 refugees living there, which is located close to the border with Somalia. The camp was built in 1991 as a result of the civil war in Somalia which continues to this day.
Japan pursues very restrictive refugee regulations. In 2014, only 11 refugees were granted asylum in Japan; there were 5.000 requests. Therefore, most refugees have to expect to be deported. Patrick Zoll, who worked as a correspondent on East Asian matters for the Neue Züricher Zeitung newspaper between 2012 and 2016,
During the past decade, more and more refugees from countries dealing with many conflicts, for example Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, have fled to Indonesia, where they live in a legal state of suspense. According to the UNHCR, as of August 2016 there are 13.110 refugees in Indonesia,
