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What happened to African students who fled Ukraine?

Thousands of students left Ukraine when war broke out – we catch up with two of them.

It’s a year since Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, so we catch up with Mary – a student from Nigeria who was studying medicine in Ukraine when war broke out. De-Graft also speaks to 91Èȱ¬ Africa reporter, Soraya Ali, who explains what’s happened to thousands of other African students who fled Ukraine. And Korrine Sky, a British-Zimbabwean who was studying medicine in Ukraine, also drops in. She’s been campaigning for support and access to university places for students whose lives were uprooted.

This episode drops on World Book Day, a worldwide celebration of books and reading. But, for some people grabbing a book to read isn’t a simple thing to do. De-Graft gets into this with Sofia Akel, who started the Free Books Campaign. It’s a non-profit company that gets books by authors of colour to those who cannot afford them, for free!

And Soweto Kinch - the multi-award-winning saxophonist, composer, poet, MC and producer – is in the building! He spills the tea on his latest album, White Juju, which is a collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Drop us a line and let us know what you want to hear on the podcast, even if it’s just to say hello. Our WhatsApp number is +44 0330 123 9480. Remember to start your message with IYDK, to make sure we see it.

Presenter: De-Graft Mensah
Producer: Kamilah McInnis
Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
Sound: Kamilah McInnis and Dave O’Neill
Editor: Alison Gee

Available now

40 minutes

Last on

Fri 10 Mar 2023 04:00

Broadcast

  • Fri 10 Mar 2023 04:00

Podcast