Out of Place

*THIS EPISODE IS IN FARSI AND GERMAN ONLY  Ali Reza is a 19 year old Refugee Artist, a Composer, Singer, Guitar Player who fled Iran and now seeking asylum in Cologne, Germany. There are hundreds of thousands of Christians in Iran. Those considered part of the native Christian communities are permitted to practice their religion with restrictions, but a Muslim converting to Christianity is considered an apostate. Ali Reza and his family belong to the latter, at risk of being persecuted due to the conversion to Christianity. The Iranian government jails converts. He has already learned German, and has found a community where he uses his musical talents to process his pain but also to speak on issues he was not able to address prior.  Out of Place is a Podcast and Vodcast by Shiva Mohammadi. The Host and Producer sits down with Artists from varies Refugee backgrounds and discusses their journeys, art, and tools needed to create a life after displacement.  Be sure to subscribe to the show! 

*THIS EPISODE IS IN GERMAN ONLY  While in Europe, I had a chance to meet Soleil, a TV Host & Producer based out of Cologne (aka the best City in Germany). Fleeing from a Civil War in the Congo back in the 90s, to moving around different Asylum Homes and creating a new life in Germany - we discussed the impact a lack of representation had on his life growing up as a Congolese in Germany along with questions of identity, a struggle very evidently faced by every Refugee, current and former, especially transitioning into bi- or even tri-cultural dimensions and trying to make it all make sense and survive. Out of Place is a Podcast and Vodcast by Shiva Mohammadi. The Host and Producer sits down with Artists from varies Refugee backgrounds and discusses their journeys, art, and tools needed to create a life after displacement.  Be sure to subscribe to the show! 

Journalist and Documentary Fimmaker Reza from Kabul, Afghanistan sat down with Shiva in his trailer at the Malakasa Refugee Camp in Greece and discussed the inhumane living conditions, the mistreatment and sheer ignorance Refugees are met with when finally reaching shores in Greece in hopes to starting a better life for themselves and their children. Last week, fires consumed Europe's largest refugee camp, Moria, on the Greek island of Lesbos and have left nearly 13,000 men, women, and children without shelter or access to basic services. The production value suffered due to the environment being inside the Refugee Camp with limited resources.  Out of Place is a Podcast and Vodcast by Shiva Mohammadi. The Host and Producer sits down with Artists from varies Refugee backgrounds and discusses their journeys, art, and tools needed to create a life after displacement.  Be sure to subscribe to the show! 

We recorded this Episode while Ray was living in a Refugee Camp in Germany. We discussed the importance of staying flexible when addressing controversial topics and getting your message across, the absence of an identity, the question of who we are as human beings connected to our values and principles. He also talks about the book he is writing, the many obstacles he has had to face, and why he wouldn't change a thing if he could turn back time.  Out of Place is a Podcast and Vodcast by Shiva Mohammadi. The Host and Producer sits down with Artists from varies Refugee backgrounds and discusses their journeys, art, and tools needed to create a life after displacement.  Be sure to subscribe to the show! 

Out of Place is a Podcast and Vodcast by Shiva Mohammadi. The Host and Producer sits down with Artists from varies Refugee backgrounds and discusses their journeys, art, and tools needed to create a life after displacement.      Be sure to subscribe to the show!