美国国家公共电台 NPR In Paris, This Refugee Radio Station Is A Lifeline — In 5 Different Languages（在线收听）

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Imagine landing in France as a refugee. You don't speak French. You don't know any locals or where to go to register as an asylum-seeker and get documentation. You probably also don't know that there are offers of food and housing, of help. In Paris, one community radio station has stepped in to help inform refugees there. Rebecca Rosman tuned in.

REBECCA ROSMAN, BYLINE: When Hassan Baigi arrived in Paris from Afghanistan as an asylum-seeker a year and a half ago, he thought his days sleeping outside were over. But the refugee camps were full, so Baigi ended up sleeping here.

HASSAN BAIGI: This place is important because the first time I came to Paris, I came to know about this place.

ROSMAN: This place is under a crowded, noisy metro station called La Chapelle in northeast Paris.

BAIGI: It was awful.

ROSMAN: At one point, as many as 1,200 migrants were sleeping in tents around here.

BAIGI: My mind was not able to accept it that, yeah, of course, I am in Paris. I thought I am somewhere else.

ROSMAN: Eventually, Baigi connected with a group that asked if he would be interested in sharing his experiences for a local radio project.

BAIGI: At the first point, I thought it is a great job to do - to speak - because, for example, if a French person talks about the problems of refugees, it is good. But if a refugee, he, himself, talks about the problems they face, it will be better, it will be best.

ROSMAN: The program that Baigi and other volunteers help produce is called "Stalingrad Connection."

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Stalingrad Connection. (Speaking French).

ROSMAN: It's named after another Paris metro where migrants used to camp out back in 2016. It was overcrowded, loud and sometimes dangerous, but it was also a forum where migrants, volunteers, activists and journalists met to exchange information, like where to find free showers, hot food or how to fill out asylum applications. Margot Colinet was one of the volunteers giving French lessons to journalist refugees when the police tore down the camp.

MARGOT COLINET: And when it was dismantled, we decided to create a radio in order to bring a way for these people to communicate with each other and also to communicate about their situation to people who would not be aware about what was happening in Paris for migrants.

ROSMAN: "Stalingrad Connection" got off the ground two years ago. It's grown to a monthly 60-minute show broadcast in five languages.

(CROSSTALK)

ROSMAN: Today, volunteers are gathered in a cramped kitchen inside a tiny Parisian apartment putting the finishing touches on the latest broadcast.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking French).

ROSMAN: This episode is about the French government organization that reviews asylum applications. The French acronym is O-F-P-R-A, known as OFPRA.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Singing in French).

ROSMAN: For one of the taped segments, Margot Colinet accompanies Hassan Baigi to his latest appointment.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Singing) I am coming.

ROSMAN: The meeting does not go well. But in the show, Baigi says he can't divulge any specific details of what happened during the appointment.

BAIGI: There can be a 50,000 Euro penalty for that. You can be jailed. That is illegal.

ROSMAN: Only 27% of asylum requests were granted in France last year. Many of those who were rejected didn't have their paperwork in order, so another part of the show features an interview with a former OFPRA employee who offers migrants advice on how to correctly fill out documentation.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: (Speaking French).

ROSMAN: But practical information is only a part of the show's mission. It's also an opportunity for migrants to share their stories with a wider audience. Each episode is also archived online, so even if refugees don't have access to a radio, they can listen on their smartphones. Twenty-five-year-old Mohammed Baha'a is a refugee from Iraq who has been volunteering with "Stalingrad Connection."

MOHAMMED BAHA'A: Maybe someone can hear my story and then try to think about - because I meet a lot of people here. They don't know about refugees. They know nothing about refugees. So when I explain them the story and everything, they really change their mind. They say OK, now we understand. So I said OK, maybe I can explain it here. It's going to - everybody going to hear a story or say something. It's going to be cool.

ROSMAN: Baha'a arrived in France only several months ago, but he says he feels like he's already found a community here. For NPR News, I'm Rebecca Rosman in Paris.