Rhianna Kemi

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Rhianna grew up in London and moved to Berlin in January 2018. She is currently Events Manager at be'kech anti-cafe, where she curates a series of discussions and workshops exploring black diaspora experiences across Europe. She graduated with a politics degree from Cambridge in 2015, and has spent the last few years working as a project and community coordinator with youth organisations in the USA, Ghana and UK. She has curated and facilitated a wide-range of trainings, events and exhibitions, often focused on the themes of migration, technology and political engagement. Her writings have been published on national platforms such as the Huffington Post and The Independent; as well as Black British media outlets, including gal-dem and NoFlyOnTheWall. In her free time, she writes, reads and travels.

Panel Presentation with Houssam Al Deen and Jorge Vega Matos

A world of diasporas: transnational mobilization in times of crises

Individuals in a diaspora are often in a precarious situation, facing deep questions about their identity in the countries or societies they are in, while dealing issues from the countries they or their families come from. To cope with their translocal status, diasporas have embraced models of distributed power, decentralized organization, and hybrid identity that seem tailor-made for contemporary society. This is particularly obvious in times that require mobilization in response to political issues, natural disasters, and forced migration. In this session, we will explore experiences from the Puerto Rican, Syrian, and Caribbean/black British diaspora. What are the common challenges and themes of Diaspora communities as they mobilize around different issues? What role has technology played or might play? How might Diaspora communities inspire other types of networks?