Arriving in Berlin
A map made by refugees
What does it mean for refugees to arrive in Berlin for the first time? In 2015 and 2016, the Afghan urban planner Hamidullah Ehrari, the Syrian merchant Alhadi Aldebs, the Afghan translator Mohammad Yari and the Iranian biotechnologist Farhad Ramazanali designed a digital map containing helpful information for new arrivals to Berlin, which has been expanded since.
As residents of Haus Leo, a residential home for refugees in Berlin-Moabit, they used critical geography methods to compile information that is relevant for refugees in Berlin. In a collective process and a series of workshops they combined the experiences of new arrivals to Berlin with proactive research: Where are there free German courses? Where are advisory offices, gynecologists or free Wi-Fi? The result is a digital mapping platform and an Android app, also useable offline, with helpful places and information available in German, English, Farsi, French, Arabic and Sorani.
Arriving in Berlin was developed in cooperation with Refugees on Rails and with the kind support of the Verein der Freunde – Haus der Kulturen der Welt e. V.
Berlin Mondiale is a project of the Rat für die Künste Berlin in cooperation with the Kulturnetzwerk Neukölln e.V. with advisory support by the Flüchtlingsrat Berlin e.V. and funded by the Berliner Projektfonds Kulturelle Bildung.
