Interview with Serap Cileli

[silversliver]

I came across this interview with Serap Cileli today, and it was both informative and moving. Cileli is an activist for women's rights within the Turkish communities in Germany, which are producing people who cannot speak German even in third-generation immigrant families. She talks about her experiences growing up in that community, and about her activism. Her account elucidates reasons for the separation between the immigrant and native communities in Germany, similarities to the situation with the Moroccan community in France, and how to bring these groups from the fringes into an integrated society. The most troubling aspect to her, and to me as a reader, is the extent of isolation experienced by immigrant women and their daughters. It was moving to read her account of women's reactions when they were finally learning enough German to answer the phone or to request a fire truck or police officer in the event of an emergency.

I highly recommend reading the whole interview.