No Seat at the Table

“I come from both Turkish and Kurdish roots; building a life and career in another country with such conditions guided me to look inwards and honestly get to know myself.”

Minem is a storyteller from Ankara, that currently resides in Utrecht. With the collaboration of her team, she created a graphic novel called ‘No Seat at the Table’🐦 which central topic is gentrification and housing shortage.

According to Menim, this is a problem that she has seen both in Utrecht and Ankara, due to the increasing amount of neo-liberal urban planning policies which have changed both environments quite dramatically over the last couple of years.

This project has made her think about her identity and the struggles she has faced as a non-EU citizen in the Netherlands. This is why, although her work is inspired by her experiences in Utrecht and Ankara, her aim crosses the European realm. In Minem’s own words:

“I wouldn’t define my mission necessarily for European citizens. I solely strive to create an honest work in all my creations and do justice to the human experience, regardless of their citizenship.”