This is a past event. Registration is closed. View other IGLYO events.
Tolulope Agbede
PhD researcher at University of UlsterTolulope Agbede (she/her) is an advocate for queer, black people and a final year PhD researcher at University of Ulster. Holding an MPH in global health and an MSc in social policy, her current work examines the impact of UK policies on domestically abused migrants through the lens of intersectionality. This research highlights how systemic injustices impact access to legal protections, resources and social mobility for migrant women living in Northern Ireland.
Beyond academia, Tolu has worked in an advisory role with the British Red Cross and policymakers in NI to advance humane policies, and improve conditions for LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers. Her contribution centred on the nuanced intersections of race, gender, and/or sexual identity which is key to the successful integration of asylum seekers and refugees. Tolu is also on the Black Activist Leadership Programme for 2024/2025 organised by Social Change Initiative and she is a regular collaborator with Rainbow Refugees NI. Her own experience of displacement motivates her to challenge systemic injustices and amplify neglected voices. Through public speaking, workshops, and community engagement, Tolu bridges the gap between research and advocacy. She believes creating meaningful change is possible and anyone can be an activist by simply taking action—small or large.
Artemis Akbary
Executive Director of Afghan LGBTIQ organizationArtemis Akbary (any pronouns) is an Afghan LGBTIQ rights activist and the co-founder and executive director of ALO, an Afghan LGBTIQ+ Organisation dedicated to promoting the human rights of Afghan LGBTIQ people and LGBTIQ asylum seekers. Artemis is a radio producer and presenter of Radio RanginKaman (Rainbow Radio), the first and only media outlet for Afghan and Iranian LGBTIQ people. Artemis has presented on LGBTQ+ rights issues in panels at the UN Security Council, the European Parliament, the International Criminal Court (ICC), and other high-profile international platforms.
Ann Aradi
International Women* Space (IWS)Ann is a Berlin-based queer feminist and dedicated activist, with a background in social justice advocacy spanning multiple continents. She began her work with Rainbow Women of Kenya and currently serves as a key organizer with International Women* Space (IWS) in Berlin. In her role at IWS, Ann co-manages *Resilient Voices*, a project focused on empowering queer asylum seekers, and collaborates on a range of IWS and Break Isolation Group (BIG) initiatives. Her work addresses critical issues including migration, the German asylum system, climate justice, anti-racism, and LGBTQIA+ rights.
In addition to her advocacy work, Ann is an emerging artist exploring writing, performance art, and voiceover work. Her creative projects and public engagements, such as organizing slam poetry events, moderating at the March 8th demonstration and IQPB Pride 2023, reflect her commitment to amplifying marginalized voices and inspiring social change.
Ann is passionate about using her voice to advocate for those impacted by systemic injustices and is dedicated to creating inclusive, supportive spaces where everyone has the opportunity to be heard.
Yassine Chagh
BM and ARP Coordinator at IGLYO Board and StaffYassine (they/he) is a multidisciplinary activist focusing on a wide range of matters such as refugees' and migrants' rights, period poverty, sports, inclusive education, peacebuilding, anti-racism, and decolonisation — focusing on white saviourism, white supremacy, and tokenistic approaches — both within the LGBTQIA+ community and beyond. Yassine's expertise is derived from diverse lived experiences as an indigenous, migrant, person of colour/Black individual, as well as engagements with various local and global organisations and platforms such as UNFCYP, UNHCR, WOMEN WIN, Queer Cyprus, and more.
Yassine's favourite activities include sparking thought-provoking conversations, eating popcorn ice cream, and passionately advocating for their favourite animals—chickens and pigeons.
Rose Wanjiku
International Women* Space (IWS)Rose is a climate and social justice activist based in Berlin. She has worked as a journalist in Kenya for the last 15 years and founded AFRA-Kenya in 2008 ,which is the only organization in Kenya that incorporates arts within LBQ women organising.
She is part of several climate justice collectives in Berlin that dive into the intersectional links climate, feminism, self-determination, and decoloniality.
She lends her voice to various panels on climate justice and discussions such as the Die Klima-Monologe, Systemic Justice, Solidarity Across Borders, Bipoclimate Justice Network, Anti-colonial networks among others that center the voices of Black women* with refugee and migrant backgrounds in climate justice conversations.
Currently, she is organising with the International Women* Space and actively engages in various forms of activism, community organizing, documentation and advocacy work on refugee and migrant women*. She is working to launch a working group known as Borderless Earth Action Network (BEAN), formed within International Women* Space to advocate for a feminist, anti-racist approach to climate justice that acknowledges the interconnected struggles of marginalized people globally and calls for collective action to address the root causes of climate change and the systems that sustain inequality.
She believes dismantling of global racial, patriarchal and unjust systems requires collective, impactful action and this is an ideal time for her to engage in a transformative experience that aligns with her passion and commitment to climate and racial justice.
Some of her speeches on climate change can be found on: https://iwspace.de/2023/09/protesting-climate-change-is-not-a-hype/