Eritrean Diaspora in Germany: the Case of the Eritrean Refugees in Baden-Württemberg
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Eritrean Diaspora in Germany: The case of the Eritrean refugees in Baden-Württemberg Beatris de Oliveira Santos Dissertação de Mestrado em Migrações, Inter-Etnicidades e Transnacionalismo September, 2019 Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisites necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Migrações, Inter-Etnicidades e Transnacionalismo, realizada sob orientação científica da Prof. Dr. Alexandra Magnólia Dias - NOVA/FCSH e Prof. Dr. Karin Sauer - Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg. This dissertation is presented as a final requirement for obtaining the Master's degree in Migration, Inter-Ethnicity and Transnationalism, under the scientific guidance of Prof. Dr. Alexandra Magnólia Dias of NOVA/FCSH, and co-orientation of Prof. Dr. Karin Sauer of DHBW. Financial Support of Baden-Württemberg Stiftung ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to thank my thesis advisors Prof. Dr. Alexandra Magnólia Dias of the New University of Lisbon and Prof. Dr. Karin Sauer of the Duale Hochschule Villingen-Schwenningen. The access to both advisors was always open whenever I ran into trouble or had a question about my research or writing. I would also like to thank the experts who were involved in the validation survey for this research project: Jasmina Brancazio, Felicia Afryie, Karin Voigt, Orland Esser, Uwe Teztel, Werner Heinz, Volker Geisler, Abraham Haile, Tekeste Baire, Semainesh Gebrey, Inge Begger, Isaac, Natnael, Maximillian Begger, Alexsander Siyum, Robel, Dawit Woldu, Herr Kreuz, Hadassa and Teclu Lebasse. Without their passionate participation and inputs, this research could not have been successfully conducted. For all refugees who shared me their experiences with generosity, trust, knowledge and time, my sincerely thank you all. I would like to thank my friends Camilla Guerrato, Cibele Fleury, Ester Coelho e Joana Maldonado. I am gratefully indebted for their valuable incentive on this thesis. Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my father Luiz Oliveira, my mother Vanda Abreu and to my partner André Jaehne. They provided me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. Thank you all. For Jesus, Luiz e Vanda. In love and gratitude “Refugees have been deprived of their homes, but they must not be deprived of their futures.” ― Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General “Germany is an immigration country” ― Aydan Özoğuz, Minister of the German State and Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration “Whenever people talk in the abstract about the pros and cons of immigration, one should not forget that immigrants are individual human beings whose lives happen not to fit neatly within national borders – and that like all human beings, they are all different. How different, though? Different better, or different worse? Such basic questions underlie whether people are willing to accept outsiders in their midst.” ― Philippe Legrain, Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them Eritrean Diaspora in Germany: The case of the Eritrean refugees in Baden-Württemberg Beatris de Oliveira Santos Abstract The object of this paper is the Eritrean diasporic community and its organization, experiences, and perspectives in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The aim is to obtain a broad understanding the of the Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers which immigrated between 2015 and 2019, their relation with the community already constructed in Baden- Württemberg with a special focus on transnational issues. The connection between religious and placemaking, long-distance nationalism, sense of belonging and the engagement in the homeland are essential spotlights in the case study of the Eritrean diaspora for this research. The thesis finds that the Eritrean community which arrived since the beginning of the “summer of migration” are based in the placemaking through the religion in Baden-Württemberg, but also maintaining strong ties with the homeland. This research can contribute to the understanding of the object studied, serving as the basis for future researches related to the Eritrean global diaspora and the diasporic community in Germany and Baden-Württemberg. KEYWORDS: DIASPORA; REFUGEES; ERITREA; BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG; GERMANY. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………... 1 Motivation ………………………………………………………………………………. 5 Epistemological Justification ……………………………………………………………. 6 Methodological Approach ………………………………………………………………. 7 Hypothesis ………………………………………………………………………………. 9 The Fieldwork …………………………………………………………………………..10 Scope of the Work ………………………………………………………………………12 CHAPTER 1: TERMINOLOGICAL CLARIFICATIONS ........................................13 1. 1. Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers ........................................................13 1. 2. Transnationalism …………………………………………………………….18 1. 3. Community, Diaspora and Exile ...…………………………………………...19 CHAPTER 2: ERITREA AS COUNTRY OF ORIGIN …………………………….27 2. 1. Eritrean Historical Context: From Colonialism to Freedom …....……………...27 2. 1.1. The Liberation and Dictatorship…………………………………………….. 31 2.2. The Religion aspects of Eritrea ………………………………………………..34 2. 3. The current situation in Eritrea and the massive exodus .……………………. 36 2.3.1. The Development politics of the German government in Eritrea …………….39 CHAPTER 3: THE GLOBAL ERITREAN DIASPORA …………………………...42 3.1. The Eritrean dispersion worldwide …………………………………………...42 3.1.1. The Eritrean community in Europe …………………………………………..43 3. 2. A short history of the Eritrean Community in Germany ……………………. 45 CHAPTER 4: GERMANY AS A HOST COUNTRY ……………………………..51 4. 1. The Asylum System in Germany ……………………………………………..51 4. 2. Integration Management ……………………………………………………...54 4.3. Willikommenskultur? ………………………………………………………….55 4.4. Baden-Württemberg: state of diversity? ……………………………………...59 CHAPTER 5: ERITREAN DIASPORA IN BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG: A TRANSNATIONAL COMMUNITY ………………………………………………...63 5. 1. Engagement and Link to Heimat ………………………………………………63 5. 2.“Eritrean-ness”: Collective identity in the diaspora …………………………….67 5. 3. Parallel Community? …………………………………………………………..69 5. 4. Generation Nationalism and Generation Asylum………………………………72 CHAPTER 6: THE ERITREAN SPACE IN BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG ………. 75 6. 1. Associations and Groups in Baden-Württemberg ……………………………75 6. 2. Verein Grundschule Adi Belsey in Eritrea e.V and the integration of new Eritrean refugees in Baden-Württemberg ……………………………………………….76 CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………………………….. 79 Limitations and prospects for future research ...…………………………………………84 BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………………………..86 APPENDIXES …………………………………………………………………………98 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Major source countries of refugees in 2017 ……………………………………2 Figure 2: Applications for asylum in Germany by state from 2016 to 2018 ……………...4 Figure 3.1: Refugee or Migrant? ………………………………………………………..17 Figure 4.1: Three types of transnational social spaces arising from international migration and flight ……………………………………………………………………………….21 Figure 5.2: Italian Colonies in the Horn of Africa ………………………………………28 Figure 6.2: Banner at Harnet Avenue in Asmara………………………………………..31 Figure 7.2: Religious Confessions in Eritrea …………………………………………...34 Figure 8.2: Reasons to Leave Eritrea …………………………………………………...38 Figure 9.2: Migration routes of Eritrean Asylum Seekers ……………………………....39 Figure 10.4: Asylum Process in Germany ……………………………………………...52 Figure 11.4: Integrated refugee management in Germany …………………………….54 Figure 12.4: Map of Baden-Württemberg in Germany …………………………………59 Figure 13.6: Logotype of the Verein Grundschule Adi Belsey e. V …………………......76 Figure 14.6: Sustainable Development Goals …………………………………………..77 LIST OF APPENDIXES Appendix A: Short Biographies ………………………………………………………...98 Appendix B: Interviews List……………………………………………………………100 Appendix C: Common features of a Diaspora …………………………………………101 Appendix D: Eritrean Groups in Baden-Württemberg …………………………………102 Appendix E: Access To Asylum Seekers (For Initial Applications) Remaining in Baden- Württemberg * in 2019 ………………………………………………………………...104 Appendix F: Overview of the initial reception facilities in the state of Baden-Württemberg …………………………………………………………………………………………105 ACRONYMS AFD Alternative für Deutschland/ Alternative for Germany ACN Aid to the Church in Need BAMF Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlingen/ Ministry of Migration and Refugees BW Baden-Württemberg CDU Christlich Demokratische Union/ Democratic Christian Union CSU Christlich-Soziale Union/ Social Christian Union EASO European Asylum Support Office EDP Eritrean Defence Force ELF Eritrean Liberation Front EPLF Eritrean People's Liberation Front EU European Union EUROSTAT European Statistical Office FRONTEX Frontières Extérieures/ External Borders GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit/ German Society for International Work Together HDI Human Development Indicator LPB Landeszentrale für Politische Bildung Baden-Württemberg/ State Center for Political Education Baden-Württemberg IOM International Organization for Migration NUES National Union of Eritrean Students NRW Nordrhein-Westfalen/ North Rhine-Westphalia OAU Organisation of African Unity OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights PEGIDA Patriotische Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes/ Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident PFDJ People's Front for Democracy and Justice UN United Nations UNICEF The United Nations Children’s