Promoting inclusion and equality by raising awareness of racial discrimination and empowering marginalized communities through education, storytelling, and community engagement.
Context
Across Europe, structural racism and Afrophobia continue to affect the daily lives and opportunities of AfroEuropean communities, with Black women facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. Despite increasing public attention to racial injustice, there remains a critical lack of comprehensive policies, data collection, and support structures that specifically address the experiences and challenges of AfroEuropeans.
In this landscape, the SONDER project emerges as a response to persistent social and institutional gaps. The project title—“Each Life is as Vivid and Complex as Any Other”—captures its core message: every individual carries a story equally rich in complexity, deserving of recognition and respect. Yet, systemic racism continues to marginalize the voices and realities of AfroEuropeans, particularly Black women, whose experiences are often overlooked in policy, media, and education.
SONDER addresses this need by adopting a holistic and inclusive approach that combines research, storytelling, education, and community engagement. It seeks to promote multiculturalism, challenge discriminatory structures, and create meaningful spaces for dialogue and empowerment.
The project’s implementation is particularly relevant in Mediterranean countries, where racial inequalities are often intensified by historical, socio-economic, and migratory dynamics. By centering the lived experiences of AfroEuropeans, SONDER aims to foster a society that not only acknowledges but actively values racial and cultural diversity.
Objectives
- Combatting Afrophobia and Structural Racism.
- Promoting Color Consciousness: Advocate for a critical awareness of race and racism, acknowledging the significance of racial identity.
- Collecting and sharing personal narratives of AfroEuropeans, particularly black women.
- Developing educational materials and conducting workshops to raise awareness about structural racism.
- Fostering Cross-Cultural Understanding
Activities
- Stories Collection Guide
- Trainings to combat hate speech and Afrophobia
- Art Mixed Community Lab: Comic Series, Videos’ Collection, Photograph Gallery
- Workshops and Discussion on Colour Blindness vs. Colour Consciousness
- Events dedicated to promoting interculturality through art, creating spaces for encounters and dialogue among different cultures.
Resources
- SONDER Platform: Training Modules and Materials
- E-learning platform with all developed tools and resources, accessible to the public and stakeholders
- Media and Culture Awareness Kit
Impact
- Empowerment of Afro-European Communities
- Visual Arts Storytelling for Social Inclusion
- Intercultural Dialogue for Social Cohesion
- Survey Hub, 41 local participants
- Art Mixed Community Lab, coinvolgimento di 10 artisti
- Collect personal stories through structured interviews involving with 10-12 interviewers and 51-75 interviewees
- FestivART in Italy, an event that will feature various artistic presentations, including visual arts, performances, and interactive installations
Partners
- ΕΛΛΗΝΟ – ΚΕΝΥΑΤΙΚΟ ΕΠΙΜΕΛΗΤΗΡΙΟ (Greece, coordinator)
- ComMedi (Greece)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- A.B. INSTITUTE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT LTD (Cyprus)
- ENWAD (Spain)
