City Rights Radio - Stories about undocumented migrants

In 2021, Mohamed Bah (29) initiated City Rights Radio, a podcast where migrants without legal status living in Amsterdam share their experiences of what it is like to be undocumented in the city.  The project began when Mohamed – back then still undocumented – and his friends started to discuss how their new life in the Netherlands has been, and the cultural differences they felt compared to their home countries. 

Moving to Europe has not been easy for them, not only because of the vulnerability of their circumstances, but also because of our society’s harmful stereotypes that they face in everyday life situations. They wanted to try to tell their stories, of how and why they came here, and to explain the difficulty of waiting for years for a permit that is very difficult to get in the Netherlands. Being undocumented affects you in everyday life situations. For example, as they described in one of the podcast episodes, being undocumented prevents you from having access to a bank account, and with most services now cashless in the country, this obstacle does not allow them to be able to pay, for instance, for a public transportation ticket. Without a permit, people do not have the right to work, forcing many undocumented migrants to work illegally and without a work contract, thus ending up being paid less than the minimum working wage. 

The goal of this podcast is not only to list facts related to the lives of undocumented people in Amsterdam, but also for listeners to truly understand and empathize with what it means to live in such an unstable situation. Before their arrival in the Netherlands, all of these people were full citizens in their own countries, with rights and the possibility to work and rent a house, while now, because of their situation, they are considered invisible citizens with no say in the society. Through this podcast they hope to gain visibility and let their voice be heard, but also to bring awareness to people who do have a permit to realize the stark contracts with regards to the situation of their daily lives.

The founder of the City Rights Radio, Mohamed Bah, is also one of the designers of the City Rights App, an app which has been developed for undocumented people who come to the city to know where and how to get help and support. With this app, they are able to see which organizations in the city offer them services such as a place to sleep in shelters, or places to eat, helping them to find their way. Through the app it is also possible to see where, as an undocumented person, you can join activities such as Dutch language courses or organized football trainings, therefore giving them the possibility to also connect with other people and try to integrate into their new society.