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Why Am I In Your Country?
Trojan Women Project presents refugees and asylum seekers telling their own stories
Trojan Women Project presents the refugees and asylum seekers who have fled danger and come to the UK telling you EXACTLY what they escaped and why they are here. For the last ten years we have been helping migrants and
Latest episode
12. Trojans: Why Am I In Your Country? Hounslow Arts Centre April 2025
52:00||Season 2, Ep. 12The audio recording of the extraordinary Trojans: Why Am I In Your Country? production, at Hounslow Arts Centre, which we produced in April 2025, with a cast of Syrian, Palestinian, Ukrainian, Afghan, Iranian, Saudi and other refugees. It was the result of a year long psycho-social support drama and oral heritage project, backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We ran around 40 workshops, over 11 months for a total of 120 refugees and asylum seekers, most of whom were Iranians. The Iranians were a mixture of political refugees from the Women! Life! Freedom! movement and a large number of Christians who had converted INSIDE in Iran, where Christianity is punishable by death: it turns out there seems to be a grassroots wave of Evangelical Christianity sweeping Iran. But if the Religious Police catch you, the punishments are brutal, including death. We then built this new version of the play, with those workshop participants who wanted to go on stage. The play was directed by Luna Laurenti and William Stirling, and adapted from Euripides' Trojan Women by Charlotte Eagar, Luna Laurenti, William Stirling, Amanda Waggot, Olha Shvets, Alina Vinnachuk, Arwa Omaren and the cast, who worked their own stories of exile and loss into the play. Featuring the poetry of Olha Shvets. Produced by Trojan Women Project. copyright 2025/
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11. Easter Special: Mina's story: Episode two - The road to Damascus - or in this case Tehran. A Christian Conversion
27:04||Season 2, Ep. 11In this episode, Mina, a 30-something Iranian photographer, tells how her disgust at the Iranian Regime - its treatment of women and its manipulation of Islam to control the population - inspired her to look for spiritual salvation elsewhere
10. New Thinking For a New World: Alan Stoga of the Tallberg Foundation interviews Charlotte Eagar and William Stirling about the Trojan Women Project for the Tallberg's podcast
40:27||Season 2, Ep. 10
9. Mina's Story: Part One: Spy drones, hijab cams, confiscating cars and cameras
32:56||Season 2, Ep. 9Mina was a professional photographer working in Iran, but the Regime spied on her with drones at private parties, and photogaphed her in her car to check she was wearing a hijab. Then Mahsa Amini was killed and Mina's family were swept up into the violence. Through all this, she started to look for other ways of finding spiritual meaning in life.In this episode of 'Why Am I In Your Country?', hosts Charlotte Eagar interviews Mina, a refugee from Iran. Mina shares her harrowing journey of fleeing Iran due to the oppressive regime, particularly focusing on the challenges and dangers she faced as a female photographer. She discusses the moral policing, the stringent hijab laws, and the punishing consequences of involvement in the Mahsa Amini movement. Mina recounts the traumatic experience of witnessing her nephew's arrest during a protest, the subsequent search for him, and her enduring mental and emotional struggles. The episode also touches on Mina's eventual turn to Christianity as a source of hope and strength in a time of profound despair. This podcast is part of an oral heritage archive funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Hounslow Council, to be lodged at Gunnersbury Park Museum.This episode is Hosted by Charlotte EagarTranslation by Nikoo KhakpourEditing by Luna Laurenti SellersThank you to the National Lottery Heritage Fund
8. Samira Kitman: Part Three - Escaping the kidnappers of Kabul, but can I ever rebuild my life in the UK?
35:23||Season 2, Ep. 8
Neda’s Journey: Escaping Persecution in Tehran - Part Two
26:42|In this episode of the 'Why Am I in Your Country' podcast, we continue Neda's harrowing story of fleeing Iran with her young daughter after her involvement in the women life freedom movement. After the death of Mahsa Amini, Neda became an active protester against the morality police. Forced to escape after her husband was detained, she recounts their dangerous journey to the UK, the hardships they faced, and her ongoing struggles as a new asylum seeker. This episode provides a stark look at the real-life impacts of political unrest and the difficult asylum process in the UK.Thank you to the National Lottery Heritage fund for making this series possible.
6. Trojans UK 24 Performance
54:06||Season 2, Ep. 6