Our motives:
We are deeply convinced that every man and every woman has the right to choose freely where he or she wants to live. This means that our support is absolutely independent from official or "common sense" definitions and criteria concerning the reasons why somebody fled from his or her home country. On the contrary, we are willing to achieve solidarity with everyone who left or had to leave his or her home country, no matter what the reasons may be.
We reject any kind of special laws on people of non-German (or non-european) origin. We are for the opening of borders to everybody and for the abolition of any camp.
Our point of view is based upon the general human right that everyone is free to choose where he or she wants to live. This is why we are also willing to support those people trying to fulfill the prospect of living their lives here in Germany, who are directly threatened by being deported from Germany or who already have an illegal status.
We are conscious of the fact that these demands of ours are quite far from being realized anytime soon, taking into account the present political circumstances and the attitudes predominating our society.
Nevertheless, we do believe that these demands become much less "utopian" if we start to realize that nations are certainly not entities that came to existence by nature, rather they are products of ideology. Free people don't need flags and national borders.
What do we do?
In addition to our regular and practical work, the Media Bus project is often engaged in both local and supra-regional anti-racist discussions, actions and campaigns. On our homepage and in local papers we publish articles addressing basic background information over the topic.
Furthermore, we consider this an opportunity to enable refugees to write and publish their own experiences and reflections of life as a refugee in Germany.
In our point of view, the isolation of refugees must be overcome, so we strive to open public areas and facilities for refugees while trying to make it easier for them to gain access to them. We are writing a booklet to make information on this issue available to the refugees living in Oldenburg.
The Media Bus itself:
The Media Bus itself is a lorry 5 meters long with room to sit down, reading material, and a small tea kitchen. At present the Media Bus comes every Sunday afternoon to the parking lot at the Blankenburg Lake in front of the camp. Apart from the fact that we are not allowed to enter the camp, it has a symbolic and practical meaning for us to stay outside of its fences. This is one way of making very clear that we are not a part of the Blankenburg camp ("ZASt") institution but, on the contrary, we strive for its abolition.
The Media Bus offers:
Media Bus for women only and a mixed Media Bus
The Media Bus comes once a week, switching off between a women-only bus one week and a mixed bus the next.
We consider it important to create a situation in which women are not dominated by men. Especially within the camp, women are not represented adequately. They are constantly in fear of being the sexual objects of men or victims of even more severe sexual encroachments and offences.
We would therefore like to offer a place where women can stay among the company of other women for at least for a few hours.
Thus it is possible to give advice from women, to women concerning issues that might not be talked about otherwise because of fear or shame.
Unfortunately, in practice it has proven to be difficult to have men respect this for-women-only area.
Meeting point, Café
We'd like the Media Bus to be both an open place to meet where we can get to know people living in the "ZASt" of Blankenburg, and a place where they can meet each other as well. Tea, coffee, biscuits and sometimes juice are offered at no charge.
Music and language courses
Within the bus, it is possible to listen to music. Over the years, one of us had collected tapes with music from many different countries. The inhabitants of Blankenburg may also make a copy of a tape for themselves.
Moreover, a study group at the University of Oldenburg created a German language course (including a book and an audio-cassette) which is based on pictures only, so that people speaking any language are able to learn German, even if they do not know the Latin alphabet. We are offering the course materials at a price to cover our costs (which we must purchase ourselves).
Pool of information
We provide current newspapers and some magazines in as many languages as possible. They can be read in or outside of the bus, and sometimes (above all, for the current issues) by the end of our visit they also might be taken home.
There are neither televisions nor newspapers available in the "ZASt" camp of Blankenburg. This might be the only chance for the refugees to get information about current political issues.
It is a maxim of ours to have no papers at all with sexist, racist, nationalist or fascist contents in the Media Bus.
Along with the papers, we try to gather information on several countries from the internet in order to offer them to the refugees.
We'd also like to inform the people living in Blankenburg about what is going on in Oldenburg concerning cultural or political events and parties, as well as institutions and other local happenings in Oldenburg.
We intend to offer an internet café once a week, in order to provide individual opportunities for information and communication.
Legal advice
Because of the public and café-like situation, and the often vivid atmosphere, it is neither possible nor does it make sense to offer comprehensive legal advice in the bus. Usually the ad hoc advice on site is just about the quick translation of documents, a preliminary estimation of their situation and some practical advice concerning the next steps to take.
If there is a need for more detailed advice, we might refer that person to the regular services of legal advice for refugees in Oldenburg, or we give the addresses and even arrange contacts to lawyers known to be good, as well as experienced in refugees' affairs.
Moreover, in the Media Bus we provide booklets made by other groups of refugees' supporters which contain the most important facts about seeking asylum and court procedures. They are available in several languages.
Bringing facts to the public
We intend to document the situation in the "ZASt" camp of Blankenburg and bring it to the public. It stands to reason that we will do this only if the refugees concerned agree upon this. We will also work with them if possible. We collect the information that the refugees tell us face to face. We also have a book available which is kept in the bus and displayed for everyone to write down his or her experiences, remarks and comments, or to write about incidents that have happened in the camp. Of course, those entries can be made anonymously, too.
We also intend on publishing articles written by refugees both on our homepage (http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/medienbus/) and in local and regional newspapers.
We would like to encourage and support the people living in Blankenburg to get themselves organized and to articulate their protests, possibly by demonstrating.
Taking care of children
We would like to see the Media Bus also be a place for children, so we make efforts to provide people caring for the children while their parents use the services of the Media Bus without being disturbed. Thus, the children themselves don't get bored either.
How to join us and support us:
We regularly meet to discuss questions of organization, to exchange news and to make plans for political or other actions.
There are many ways to join us. You don't need to have special skills or knowledge - that will come over the course of time! If you wouldn't like to go with us to Blankenburg or if you are not able to do so, there are still other jobs to do:
organization work (e.g. writing letters, internet searches, etc.), fund raising, translating, taking part in the improvement of the bus or simply donating money.
Please contact us at the following address:
Medienbus, PF 4102, 26031 Oldenburg, Germany
medienbus@gmx.de
To keep the Media Bus running in future as an important political project, we need an amount of about 300 € per month. We bear these costs mainly through contributions.
Account number ___________________________
BLZ (Bankleitzahl) __________________________
Bank: __________________________________
Name: __________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________
Location, date _____________________________
Signature _____________________________
