Supporting the empowerment of African communities in Greece, Italy, and Spain through research and awareness initiatives, aiming to enhance their inclusion and civic participation.
Context
The AFROEQUALITY project addresses the urgent need to combat discrimination, racism, Afrophobia, and hate speech faced by African and Afro-descendant communities in Europe, particularly in countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain. Despite the growing visibility of these communities, discrimination remains systematic and largely underestimated, with minimal documentation and few initiatives aimed at directly empowering these groups. The project was developed in response to a context filled with structural challenges. In Italy, Greece, and Spain, citizenship policies are restrictive and often fail to recognize the rights of second-generation immigrants, with a limited approach to granting citizenship. Although African communities have been present for a long time, they continue to be marginalized both socially and economically, often confined to informal sectors and subject to exploitation. Moreover, public discourse and anti-immigration policies, particularly in these three countries, contribute to discrimination and exclusion. AFROEQUALITY was created to bridge these gaps through research, empowerment, and outreach activities, with the goal of improving the quality of life and social recognition of African communities in these countries, while promoting inclusion and social justice.
Objectives
- Conduct a thorough analysis of how people of African descent are portrayed in the media across Greece, Italy, and Spain. This research will include document reviews, qualitative and quantitative analyses, and evaluations of media content.
- Develop and implement effective tools to systematically recognize and document instances of racism and Afrophobia in partner countries. This also involves creating support networks for victims and promoting concrete actions to combat these issues at both local and national levels.
- Build digital skills and civic awareness within African communities in partner countries to encourage greater civic participation and strengthen local capacities.
- Promote cultural exchange through intercultural dialogue and shared experiences between African communities and local populations, aiming to empower them against Afrophobia, xenophobia, hate speech, and violence in Greece, Italy, and Spain.
- Support a holistic approach to ending gender and racial stereotypes, debunking unfounded ideas of racial superiority, and combating racial hate speech.
Activities
- Enhance the understanding of how people of African descent are represented in mainstream media and social media in Greece, Italy, and Spain. This will be done through desk research focused on people of color, the construction of Black identity in these countries, and mapping instances of verbal violence and other inappropriate behavior towards people of African descent on social media. It will also include an analysis of online news outlets and social media content.
- Conduct a public survey to gauge general perceptions of Black identity, supplemented by focus groups (two in each participating country) with African-descended opinion leaders and key figures in the fight against racism and prejudice (such as African NGOs, human rights and equality institutions, migrant associations, etc.). Additionally, hold focus group discussions with up to five men and five women of African descent to explore their experiences with Afrophobia, racial hatred, and discrimination based on race and origin.
- Implement empowerment and training workshops, accessible to 60 participants from each partner country (180 in total), ensuring gender balance within the selected groups. These participants will act as multipliers of the App, as well as the knowledge and training provided, ensuring the project’s results are sustained.
- Draft policy recommendations to further combat race- and ethnicity-based discrimination, offering suggestions for future activities and research from the perspective of people of African descent.
- Create videos and Insta-stories using hashtags like #AFROEQUALITY, #MylifeinAthens, #MylifeinPalermo, and #MylifeinBarcelona, along with video campaigns produced by the project partners.
Resources
- Website and social media for the project to reach out the general public and the academic community.
- Empowerment app on cultural engagement and awareness of the African community.
- An Advisory Board (AdBo) will be formed that will include independent experts.
- Advocacy Policy Briefs drafted by the African community.
Impact
- Empower people of African descent, aged 18-45, in Greece, Italy, and Spain.
- Positively impact both people of color and the wider community.
- Deliver tailored activities using a multidisciplinary approach that considers race, gender, age, and cultural orientation.
- Provide integrated solutions that connect research with practical action.
Partners
- ETHNIKO KAI KAPODISTRIAKO PANEPISTIMIO ATHINON – UOA (Greece, coordinator)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- INCLUSIVE STRATEGIES SL – Instrategies (Spain)
- KINISI ETHELONTON SERVICE CIVIL INTERNATIONAL ELLAS – KINISI ETHELONTON S.C.I-HELLAS (Greece)
- SYGKLISI ASTIKI MI KERDOSKOPIKI ETAIREIA – CONVERGENCE CIVIL NON PROFIT SOCIETY (Greece)
