Tama's Tales Where there's a will, there's a way

...

See in another language: 1

Embed code

(To view video subtitles in English, click on the gear icon and turn captions "on").

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week she talks to Ola, who's 20, and fled the war in Aleppo, Syria, with her family a year ago.

Since then, Ola has not only learnt German by taking free classes and practicing with friends, she has also set up and run a successful crowd funding campaign. Within five days she had raised the money needed to attend an integration course in order to become a biomedical lab technician.

Sign up for our free newsletters and get the top stories delivered to your inbox.

Tama's Tales YouTubers come in all shapes and sizes

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week, she attends a film festival to accept an award for her Vlog.

Tama's Tales Tamil street food, all chopped up

Tama meets up with a friend who makes Sri Lankan street food

Tama's Tales Why Tama's role models are all women

Tama's role models are all female: singers, stand-up comedians,YouTubers and Disney characters.

Tama's Tales Hip-hop: a migrant thing?

Tama talks to Ugi, an ethnic Kurd born in Switzerland, about the links between hip-hop music and migration. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)

Tama's Tales Swiss politicians with migrant backgrounds

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week she visits the Swiss federal parliament building in the capital, ...

Tama's Tales A Swiss-Lebanese-Iraqi stand-up comic

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week she meets comic, Hamza Rya. Everyone's a target for his jokes.

Tama's Tales Is Switzerland being 'Muslimised'?

This week, Tama attends a conference of the conservative right Swiss People’s Party and finds out why they want to stop 'Muslimisation'.

See in another language: 1

Tama's Tales Road habits that drive Tama crazy

Fasten your seatbelt and find out what makes Tama see red when she's driving.

Tama's Tales How joining a foreigners' club can make you stronger

Tama joins a club for foreign women called "Femmes-Tisch" in her home town of Langenthal, which helps members to integrate in Swiss society.

See in another language: 1

Tama's Tales What Hindus and Muslims have in common

Tama finds out what Muslims do in their mosques.

Tama's Tales Why do Balkan boys get a bad rap?

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. She meets up with stand-up comedian, Sven Ivanic, who is Croatian, ...

Tama's Tales Flat tops, braids and corn rows

Max Urban, a rapper, is Afro-Swiss and he can do things with his mouth that most white people can only dream of. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)

Tama's Tales What does it take to feel Swiss in Switzerland?

Tama was born here to Tamil parents. Emily has Polish/Chinese roots and grew up in Canada. Emily feels Canadian but Tama doesn't feel that Swiss.

Tama's Tales Why language is not just about talking

Tama visits a summer camp for young Vietnamese people growing up in Switzerland and finds out how language helps to unite the participants.

Tama's Tales A life-changing art project

This week, Tama visits the Kidswest Association set up a decade ago in Bern, which introduces art to disadvantaged children.

Tama Tales When Swiss kids are forced to go hiking

What makes Swiss kids different from foreign kids growing up here? Tama Vakeesan discusses this with singer, Marco Kunz, from Lucerne.

Tama's Tales Congolese do it in sunglasses

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. She talks to a comedian about how Congolese Swiss differ from Swiss natives.

Tama's Tales Tama and the car freaks

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week she visits a show organised by Tamils for car freaks.

Tama's Tales When commuters are smelly, loud and rude

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. Tama looks at the downsides of commuting here. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)

Tama's Tales Why do ethnic Albanians do the double-headed eagle?

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 ...

Tama's Tales Skin lightening: why do Tamil women do it?

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week, she investigates why Tamil women want to look paler. (SRF ...

Tama's Tales When your parents hate your career choices

Swiss-born Tama Vakeesan has Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. Both she and her friend from Cameroon had trouble with their parents and career choices.

Tama's Tales Re-visiting a refugee centre

Tama Vakeesan visits a refugee centre for the first time since she herself was an asylum- seeker. Her Tamil parents fled the war in Sri Lanka.

Tama's tales Me and my mum

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to parents from Sri Lanka. She speaks with her mother who explains what it was like to leave her home country.

Tama’s Tales Let the beat go on!

Tama's friend Priya Ragu, a Swiss-born ethnic Tamil, explains how hard it is making her way in the music world without her parents' support.

Tama's Tales Under suspicion

Tama meets her friend Mondher, who is Swiss with Tunisian roots. He tells how not looking Swiss has got him into trouble.

Tama's Tales Tama and the #Pussyhats

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 ...

Tama's Tales What our food says about us

Tama Vakeesan meets up with her friend Zoe, born in Switzerland to Greek parents, to find out whose mum is the best cook.

Tama's Tales So what if I wear a headscarf?

Tama Vakeesan finds out how wearing a headscarf affects the lives of some of her friends. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)

Tama's Tales My town - ordinary but extraordinary

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. She shows us her favourite places in her home town.

Tama's Tales My big fat Tamil wedding

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. Tama and her best friends have a clear vision of their dream man.

Tama's Tales Swiss or Tamil? Caught in the middle

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. Sometimes she doesn’t know where she belongs.

Navigation

Skiplink Navigation

Main Features

Search function

Tama's Tales Where there's a will, there's a way

Neuer Inhalt

subscription form

The citizens' meeting

Function	Example	Search result
Search for exact term	"money-laundering", "Roger Federer"	Results include exact spellings of "money-laundering" and "Roger Federer"
Search for all terms	Roger Federer	Results include "Roger" and "Federer"
Either-or search	money-laundering	Results include "money" or "laundering"
Search for one term and not the other	money -laundering	Results include "money" but NOT "laundering"
Search for word stem	sun*	Results include words with the same base like "sun", "suns", "sunshine", "sunny"
Search with placeholder for letter	wom*n	Results include all possible words: "woman", "women"