Read Think Act Ep. 17: Matthieu Aikins on Trying and Struggling Beyond Borders

One of the things I was happy to talk about in this book was people were doing, for example the activists and volunteers that we met in Athens who had squatted a hotel, brought people in off the streets and were providing them with a dignified, safe place to live that was also motivated by an egalitarian politics that believed in a better world.

Matthieu Aikins

Welcome to the latest Read Think Act, part of our video series where writing and activism go hand in hand (or head to head) and we explore the space where they intersect, taking ideas from the pages and into our communities

We're returning briefly from our summer break to share a very special episode with Matthieu Aikins, author of the absolutely essential book 'The Naked Don't Fear the Water', a travel narrative like no other. In 2016, Mathieu decided to follow his friend, an Afghan translator and driver named Omar, as he fled his home country to seek refuge in Europe. In this video, Matthieu answers three questions about what being a refugee means and what he hopes the book might teach readers.

If you're seeking to get involved with supporting migrant rights, working in solidarity with local refugees, or toward the dismantling of violent border regimes, here are a few groups, local and further afield, to check out:

Edinburgh anti-raids are part of a UK-wide network

No Evictions works to support asylum seekers in Glasgow against eviction

MORE - Migrants Organise for Rights and Empowerment are also Glasgow based

Refugee Council

Open Cultural Center works throughout Spain and Greece for the inclusion of refugees and migrants through education and cultural activity

Alarm Phone works to offer people crossing the channel additional options to make their SOS calls noticeable

Choose Love work directly in refugee camps around the world