Afroza Rahman (Dhaka, Bangladesh, 54) has spent the last 18 years of his life in Spain.
It is not common for a woman from her country to emigrate to Europe alone, but heart disease forced her husband to leave her job and, with five children to feed, she was forced to find a life as a migrant. .
Thanks to her experience, she now acts as a leader and inspires newcomers through projects such as
Yhaal Muri 2
, the latest venture of the Valiente Bangla neighborhood association.
The initiative, launched on January 18, aims for Bangladeshi women residing in Madrid to leave the tight control of their homes and receive sewing classes as an excuse to practice their Spanish, integrate and be more independent.
The setting chosen for the inauguration was the Anette Cabelli Space (in the center of the capital) before a mostly female audience.
After the formal speeches, it's time to get down to work.
The president of the association, Mohammad Fazle Elahi, invites those present to the adjoining room, full of sewing machines, tables, needles and fabrics: “In reality, sewing is an excuse for them to leave the house, practice Spanish and they integrate.
Some husbands have insulted me and tried to attack me, but these women have come to Spain for much more than taking care of their homes.”
To understand the role of women in their culture, Rahman explains that even those who have been in Spain for more than a decade barely speak Spanish, as they are at home all day taking care of their children and husbands.
“They only go out to shop and have no social activity.
They do not know other Bangladeshi women and are very dependent on their husbands, who can often be controlling or abusive.
We are a very traditional culture in which women do not have the autonomy to even go to the doctor.”
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“I want to offer the help that I did not have when I arrived”
The only representative of institutional politics in the room is the leader of the opposition in the City Council, Rita Maestre (Más Madrid), who takes advantage of the occasion to highlight neighborhood initiatives and the strengthening of the “collective” as a response to the model individualist that the right promulgates.
She is also critical of the recent words of the Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso (PP), which linked the arrival of migrants to Alcalá de Henares with an outbreak of scabies or an uptick in sexual assaults in the town: “Ayuso is a racist that uses public platforms to point out and generate hatred against a particularly vulnerable minority.
"I am ashamed that the Community of Madrid is headed by a confessed racist."
Diego Sanchez
Rahman considers herself lucky for the mere fact that her husband is okay with her participating in these things: “This is a rarity.
There should be no problem, but to give you an example, only 1% of men collaborate in household chores in my country.”
Thanks to her experience, she aims to light the way for other women so that they are encouraged to come.
“I'm going to give them Spanish class so they can interact and talk about their issues.
Sometimes they have economic problems or suffer gender violence, but they have no one to talk to,” she points out.
Yhaal Muri 2
, named after a traditional Bangladeshi food, is the latest venture from Valiente Bangla.
The association was created in 2007 and has about 500 members—most of them undocumented.
In times of pandemic, they created a network of translators to guarantee access to care for migrants who did not speak Spanish following the death of Mohammed Abul Hossain, the resident of Lavapiés who died on March 26 at his home after having I have been calling for six days the phones enabled to care for Covid patients.
They have also taken part in collective actions to stop evictions, organize solidarity food banks or collective purchases of toys so that no child is left without a Christmas gift.
Its president, Mohammad Fazle Elahi, arrived in Spain in 2004 and, little by little, has become the leader of the 6,792 Bangladeshis (according to the INE 2022) who reside in Spain.
Although he appreciates the presence of political representatives like Rita Maestre, he believes that when push comes to shove, it is the neighborhood initiatives that take care of the people.
“The central government and that of Ayuso are facing each other and fighting for their seats, but in the end, the person who pays the consequences is the citizen.
There is more and more machismo and more racism, and prices do not stop rising, so we have to support each other and fight for the common good,” she says.
The other visible face of the project is the sewing teacher, Zaloa Basaldua, who will teach two classes per week: “The good thing about sewing is that you can talk while you work.
Bangladesh is one of the main clothing producing countries;
But the Western consumption model has caused many of these women to work in inhumane conditions sewing the clothes we sell here.
For me it is a gift to be able to pay off that debt a little.”
In addition, it aims to generate employment opportunities for them through sewing.
“With just a few hours of training, they can get to work on a sewing machine,” she says.
After lunchtime, many of the attendees have finished their first class and leave with the haste of someone who must return home.
Most of them have to make food for their children, but they leave smiling after what has probably been one of the few social gatherings they have had since their arrival in Spain.
To untangle some of the iron knots that have culturally subjugated these women, there is still time;
but the first stitch to weave a new support network that improves their lives has already been given.
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