The village teacher with the foreign name

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week she talks to Driton Idrizi, an ethnic Albanian from Macedonia. At school he encountered racism and nearly dropped out, but he was brought back on track by his private tutor, who inspired him to also become an educator. Driton now works as a secondary school teacher in the mountain village of Sigriswil in canton Bern. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)

This content was published on December 28, 2017 - 11:00

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Viva l’Italia!

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Tama and a People s Party representative

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What does it take to feel Swiss in Switzerland?

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Tama talks to Tri, head of a Vietnamese summer camp.

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This content was published on Aug 24, 2017 Tama visits a summer camp for young Vietnamese people growing up in Switzerland and finds out how language helps to unite the participants.

A life-changing art project

This content was published on Aug 17, 2017 This week, Tama visits the Kidswest Association set up a decade ago in Bern, which introduces art to disadvantaged children.

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When commuters are smelly, loud and rude

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Why do ethnic Albanians do the double-headed eagle?

This content was published on Jul 13, 2017 Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. Sometimes it’s hard for Tama and her friends of different ethnic origins to stay true to family traditions. She asks Arjeta what being an ethnic Albanian means to her. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)

Skin lightening: why do Tamil women do it?

This content was published on Jul 6, 2017 Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week, she investigates why Tamil women want to look paler. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)

When your parents hate your career choices

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Tama, her brother, and the child asylum seekers at a refugee centre take a selfie

Re-visiting a refugee centre

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Me and my mum

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Let the beat go on!

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Under suspicion

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Tama and the #Pussyhats

This content was published on May 25, 2017 Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. In this episode, she takes part in the Zurich Women’s March and finds out why demonstrators are wearing pink “Pussyhats”, and how their four-legged allies are protesting too. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)

What our food says about us

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So what if I wear a headscarf?

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The village teacher with the foreign name

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