Success Stories – from and about migrants

„Success Stories“ - from and about migrants

Integration, empowerment, opinion-forming, varieties, talent, support of immigrant’s independence are the catchwords of the “Success stories” project. The diverse talents and success stories of migrants, particularly Africans are made visible. Goal and purpose of the project is to promote the integration process of migrants, especially from Africans and to create a positive opinion to benefit migrants living in Austria and to fight eventual indigence. Whereby Radio Afrika TV does not try so assimilate integration to the majority society but to exchange and empower migrants to live together. Widespread superficial prejudices, racist attitudes, stereotyped ideas together with romanticizing and a primitive image of the unfamiliar culture must be cleared up. Africans and Austrians must learn to know each other, to understand and respect each other and to allow a respectful, enlightened and sensitive contact with each other. “Success stories” is a new, modern and also entertaining strategy to evoke a necessary mind bending. The members of the African communities in Austria themselves, equally as people interested in the project can collaborate. By the election of different roles models, the interest, problems, obstacles and positive experiences of the members of the African communities are being included in the project. With the project, the association wants to inform the viewers about the economic, politic, social and cultural situation of Africans in Austria through a very accessible method. The themes of the success stories should be an orientation for migrants. Problems and obstacles but also successes of the everyday life including suggested solutions are being incorporated amusingly. Individual Africans are being accompanied in their everyday life, focusing on the successes of the role models. The productions are being broadcasted on one side by OKTO TV and should be offered to other television channels. On the other hand the success stories can be presented as articles in our homepage as well as a radio report on Radio Afrika International. The already mentioned project goals and performance methods improve a long-dated change of the usual clichéd and prejudiced image of Africa. That leads to a positive appreciation of the Africans living in Austria and an improving of integration. By the presentation of African success stories the fear of the “foreign” is reduced and a mind-alteration is created. Integration processes are being promoted. With this project RATV wants to emancipate, empower, as well as train African descendant people and give them an opportunity to act as empowered and educated members of the Austrian society. On the other hand the project raises awareness and conscientize civil society about the daily live of African people in Austria and therefore establishes positive opinion-making processes off from racist attitudes and intolerant discourses.