Originally from the UK, Lorna arrived in
Berlin in the Summer of 2011, a naïve 21-year- old who fell in love
with the vibrant, open-minded city. She lived on a square called
Oranienplatz, which just one year later would turn into an occupy
camp led by refugees who were fighting for their rights in Germany.
It was in this camp that Lorna became active in the community
through running a community cooking group in both the occupied
square and the occupied school. As a tour guide herself she realised
the impact of stories through walking tours and in the Summer of
2015 had the idea to start Refugee Voices Tours. As well as being a
local and Europe-wide tour guide, Lorna works in the Daseinsfreunde
team.
Favourite thing about Berlin: ‘For me it has to be the history; Berlin
wears its scars where you can see them, never shying away from the
dark history at the same time as not forgetting to celebrate the
characters like Marlene Dietrich and David Bowie who captured the
essence of Berlin and used it in their art’.
Favourite place about Berlin: ‘I love taking tourists to the Soviet War
Memorial in Treptower Park, it is off the beaten track but so
impressive. It’s a classic example of how history can be used as
political propaganda and how dangerous it is to glorify war.
Hopes for the future: ‘I hope to make Refugee Voices Tours a global
project, happening in cities across the world and changing attitudes
through telling stories. More than anything, I hope that our current
guides will one day be able to go home and start something similar in
their home cities.’
contact : [email protected]