For English scroll down “If an immigration officer at Heathrow had ever said ‘Welcome home’ to me, I would have given my life for England, for my country, there and then. I could kill for an Engeland like that” (Zafar, In the Light of What We Know, 2014, p.98)
‘Hyphenated identities’ (bv. Nederlands-Marokkaans) zijn een veelvoorkomend fenomeen in Europa, toch blijft de acceptatie van mensen met een niet-westerse achtergrond ver achter, zelfs als ze in het westen geboren zijn. Waarom? “Europe has a deep-rooted problem with otherness”, aldus Zia Haider Rahman.
Er heerst een klimaat van wantrouwen ten opzichte van burgers met een ‘hyphenated identity’. Hun loyaliteit wordt structureel in twijfel getrokken, (kinderen van) migranten moeten blijkbaar extra hun best doen om hun patriottisme te tonen, of zoals Rahman beweert: “White Europe shows that it doesn’t in its heart believe us to be part of this society”.
Zia Haider Rahman, weliswaar in Bangladesh geboren, draagt enkel een Brits paspoort, heeft gestudeerd aan de universiteiten van Oxford en Cambridge en is inmiddels een bekende naam in Groot-Brittanië. Toch maakt hij naar eigen zeggen geen deel uit van de Britse ‘establishment’: “I have a number of things operating against me, color is one of them, class is another(…)I might have adopted a posh accent, I might change the way I am, and yet you still can’t be accommodated, because of the class and racial difference difference”
Volgens Rahman ontbreekt het (wit) Europa aan zelfreflectie, het dominante discours wijst continue op de (on)welwillendheid van ‘de ander’ om te integreren, maar zelden op de (historische)verantwoordelijkheden die Europa draagt om een inclusieve beschaving te cultiveren. Het resultaat is dat veel Europese burgers met een ‘hyphenated identity’ zich niet meer welkom voelen in het land waar ze wonen: “In my heart I am ultimately homeless."
Yoeri Albrecht gaat met Rahman in gesprek over dit thema.
Gerenommeerd schrijver Zia Haider Rahman keert terug in De Balie als writer in residence om te praten over urgente politieke en sociale vraagstukken.
“If an immigration officer at Heathrow had ever said ‘Welcome home’ to me, I would have given my life for England, for my country, there and then. I could kill for an Engeland like that” (Zafar, In the Light of What We Know, 2014, p.98)
Hyphenated identities (e.g. Dutch-Moroccan or Bangladeshi-British) are a common phenomenon nowadays, however the acceptance of this reality is lagging behind. Why? “Europe has a deep-rooted problem with otherness”, states Zia Haider Rahman. There is a lot of suspicion towards citizens with a hyphenated identity or double passport. Their loyalty to their nation of residence is questioned, children of immigrants are expected to make an extra effort to prove their patriotism or, as Rahman claims: “White Europe shows that it doesn’t in its heart believe us to be part of this society”.
Zia Haider Rahman, although born in Bangladesh , exclusively carries a British passport, studied at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and is now a household name in Britain. Yet according to him he does not form part of the British "establishment" : "I have a number of things operating against me, color is one of them, class is another (…) I might have adopted a posh accent , I might change the way I am , and yet you still cannot be accommodated, because of the class and racial difference." According to Rahman, (white) Europe lacks self-reflection; the dominant discourse focuses on the willingness (or reluctance) of the ‘other’ to integrate, but rarely on the ( historic ) responsibility of Europe to cultivate an inclusive civilization. The result is that many European citizens with a ‘hyphenated identity’ no longer feel welcome in the country where they live. " In my heart I am Ultimately homeless."
Yoeri Albrecht will discuss this topic with Rahman.
Renowned author Zia Haider Rahman returns to De Balie as a writer in residence to talk about pressing political and social issues.