This Thursday, we will host the presentation of the first issue of NANSEN magazine. Publisher & Editor Vanessa Ellingham will introduce the magazine and the idea behind it. She will talk with activist Aydin Akin, the subject of this first issue. The presentation will be moderated by Tarik Kemper, editor at the Turkish-German arts and culture magazine renk.
NANSEN, a magazine about migrants of all kinds
NANSEN Magazine aims to connect and celebrate migrants of all kinds. They do this by getting to know one migrant per issue, honing in on the minutiae of lives lived away from home – moments all migrants can relate to, and many non-migrants will, too.
For us all, the word “migrant” conjures up a particular image. We want to expand the way each of us see migrants and the way we, as migrants, see ourselves. With 244 million migrants roaming the planet right now, we don’t think we’re ever going to run out of stories.
NANSEN Magazine is published and edited by Vanessa Ellingham with design and art direction by Eva Gonçalves.
Issue 01: AYDIN AKIN, That man on the bike
Since arriving in Berlin almost 50 years ago, AYDIN AKIN’s been obsessed with improving the lives of the city’s migrants. If you live in Berlin or have visited sometime in the last 12 years, it’s likely you have seen him — he’s the man who rides a heavily adorned bicycle across the city every day, blowing on a whistle, pumping his arms and blasting the football chant Olé, Olé, Olé.
When young newcomers arrive in Berlin today, high on the city’s hopeful energy, it’s never long before somebody one-ups them with the classic line: “Berlin was so much better five years ago.”
AYDIN AKIN has been here for nearly half a century now. But he reckons that for Berlin’s newcomers, the best is yet to come. And he’s fighting every day to try to get us there.
Nansen #01 – Aydin Akin
Vanessa Ellingham (ed)
2017
ISSN 2566980X
Softcover, 95 pages
12 €
