The Association of Ghanaian Professionals in Ireland (AGPI) have held the maiden workshop on racism and discrimination for 27 women drawn from eight countries including Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Togo, India , Zimbabwe and Mexico. The workshop dubbed ‘Where the rivers meet’ is being organised in collaboration with partner organisations in Spain, Austria, Romania and Italy and is being funded by the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme of the European Union.



Opening the workshop, the project coordinator, Mrs Belinda Agyapong explained the rational for the programme. She said the workshops were meant to help combat racism, xenophobia and discrimination against migrant women living in Europe. She said the programme would be in two phases. The first phase would run until April 2011 and would involve facilitation workshops organised in the presences of a playwright who would collect stories of racist encounters from the women which he would use to write short plays. The second phase would run from June 2011 until April 2012 and would involve social theatre facilitation workshops which would be based on plays written from the first phase of the programme.

She said the second phase would end with the women participating in a five day international festival on social theatre facilitation in Valencia, Spain in April 2012.

She encouraged the women to demonstrate sufficient commitment to the workshops to justify their inclusion in the second phase of the programme.

She introduced the facilitators of the workshops, namely, Mrs Harriet Owusu-Ansah and Mrs Delvine Akpaloo. She also introduced the playwright, Mr Kofi Owusu-Ansah, and the film director, Mr Kayode Bamgbose.



Dr Leena Naughton a psychiatrist and Clinical Lecturer in a University in Dublin who is originally from India set the ball rolling by sharing several racist experiences she had encountered since migrating to Ireland more than a decade ago. Many participants also recounted similar experiences. After the programme, many of the women expressed their joy at the privilege of being selected to attend such an important workshop. The pledged their commitment to the sustainability of the programme.



The next workshop would be held on the 5th of February 2011 from 11am at the Huntstown Community Centre in Dublin 15.



For more information, please visit our website at www.agpireland.org

Source: AGPI Secretariat