culture

• Italy

For Carmela -- born in Palermo to Ghanaian parents but then adopted by a white, Italian family -- the Rainbow Choir has opened a door straight to the heart of Italian culture and society. But even this innovative scheme, a flagship project of the Consulta della Cultura, is no skeleton key to being accepted in Italy.

• Germany

The town of Espelkamp in Germany has a long history of welcoming newcomers: Different generations of refugees and immigrants have come here over the years. We spoke with several of them, including two young brothers from Afghanistan who now run a kebab shop.

• Germany

Espelkamp in northwest Germany has experienced several waves of refugees and migrants throughout its history. It's home to recently arrived refugees and guest workers, as well as German repatriates. InfoMigrants takes a look at how they have changed the town and how Espelkamp in turn has influenced them.

• Afghanistan
• Germany

The Afghan born fashion model and entrepreneur Zohre Esmaeli was this year’s guest speaker at the "Days of Exile" event hosted by the Körber-Stiftung, a foundation based in Hamburg, Germany.

• Germany
• Iraq

Saman Haddad came to Germany at the age of 13 as the child of Iraqi refugees. Now, he's a well-known cultural figure in Bonn, unafraid to do things his own way.

• Egypt
• Germany
• Syria

When people think of a German restaurant, they usually think of potatoes, schnitzel and sauerkraut. But thanks to the arrival of more than one million migrants and refugees since 2015, Germany's culinary landscape has transformed notably.

• United Kingdom

The UN Migration Agency IOM has joined with various groups to produce a music video in order to "celebrate the extraordinary contributions of displaced people and migrants to our world."

• Germany

The "Heroes" project works to break down prejudices, stereotypes and patriarchal structures which are often the cause of oppression and violence 'in the name of honor'. Its members, trained "Heroes" who have migrant backgrounds themselves, hold workshops at schools with migrant peers who grew up with strong notions of traditional gender roles and protecting their family's honor. InfoMigrants met some "Heroes" in Berlin during one of their role-play based training sessions.

• Italy

The film 'Bar Giuseppe' tells the story of an Italian widower and an African migrant who fall in love. It was recently screened at the Rome Film Festival.

• Italy
• Mali
• Senegal

An opera titled "Winter Journey" tells the story of a migrant who leaves his family in Africa to board one of the many boats from Libya to follow his dream of working in Europe and sending money back home.

• Russia
• Zimbabwe

Russia accepts very few refugees, and those who come have a hard time socializing. But a local NGO has come up with an idea to change that and show them that Moscow can be friendly.

• Nigeria
• Portugal

A year ago, 19 of 630 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean by the charity ship Aquarius were taken in by Portugal. They all ended up in the small town of Fundão, located some 250 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of Lisbon.