Africa Day is celebrated on May 25th, an opportunity for African immigrants to try and draw attention to the public opinion regarding their situation.

Mbela Nzuzi, who came in 1997 from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is already known to Romanians both as the president of The Organization for Refugee Women in Romania, which gets involved in campaigns meant to promote culture and African traditions, and as a TV star, being a presenter on the small screen.

Rep.: What issues did you face when you took refuge in Romania?

M.N.: One of the problems regarding integration was that I could not listen to African music anywhere and I suffered so much because of that. I got over this, but now I feel Romanians need to know more about our culture because we speak of immigrant integration and, if want to have it, we have to know each other even better. Romanians should know other people as well so there won’t be any preconceived ideas which generally lead to discrimination and marginalization. I don’t think the problems immigrants are dealing with are just their specific ones. When we speak of refugee immigrant children, they have certain problems which are linked to their refugee status, but they also have problems like any other normal children. The same goes for women.

Rep.: Have women’s problems touched you, given the fact that you are outspoken as president of the Organization for Refugee Women in Romania?

M.N.: Yes, I am the president of the Organization and we see each other in women’s problems, children’s problems, even though we do not have formal citizenship. I was recently at Giurgiu to meet with teenagers at school, to talk about my experience, about life spent in political asylum. It was a wonderful experience, and smaller children had very interesting questions. A five-year old asked me: „Madam, why are they fighting in Africa?” I enjoyed it very much, I don’t know why and they don’t either. I like talking to people very much, but I want this contact to be made so as to reach more layers of society.

Rep.: What are the problems African immigrants are dealing with?

M.N.: I can’t speak about the problems of African immigrants, because nobody in Romania has a problem with Africans! There is no such discrimination. There are isolated cases, which can be classified as such, but we mustn’t generalize. Refugees usually deal with problems which even Romanians face: lack of money, social policies. Of course refugees suffer as well. But the biggest problem is related to those who require political asylum. It takes a long time to grant someone the refugee status and this is really a problem! It may take even years... It’s very hard because people don’t know where to go, if they’re accepted or not.

Rep.: But there are good things too that have happened in the last couple of years...

M.N.: The legislation in the field has improved, those who require asylum were not allowed to work, now they have a PIN and are allowed to work. They hardly find jobs, because most Africans who come do not bring their diplomas or don’t have the necessary qualifications And if he doesn’t know the language, he is already at a disadvantage. Children of those who asked for political asylum are ok from a social point of view. There are no cases of traumatized children. They adapt easily, there is more work to be done, but the legislative framework has improved.

Rep.: What’s more to be done in Romania?

M.N.: Reviewing those requests to grant the refugee status, because some people can’t always prove they are persecuted in their country of origin. We have to admit the fact that in Belgium or France the African community is more organized and has more opportunities for integration. It’s not easy there, but easier than in Romania.

Rep.: Has the wave of Africans who come to Romania increased or decreased lately?

M.N.: It has increased and decreased at the same time. It’s hard to say, they come and they go... Some time ago, a lot more came because there were bilateral agreements with several countries, they came with a scholarship, but know even more come because of problems and conflicts. It’s hard to come here all the way from Africa. Most African seek refuge in neighboring countries.

From Mbela Nzuzi’s experience as an immigrant and leader of the Organization for Refugee Women, discrimination based on race is not an issue in Romania. Those who ask for political asylum face significant problems which have a negative impact on the quality of life. The main problems are: duration of procedures, the fact that they don’t know the language and the impossibility of finding a workplace. The legislation has improved significantly, but it remains to be seen how these practices will lead to the implementation of new legal provisions.

We wish Mbela lots of success in her efforts to promote African culture among Romanians.