Refugees and Their Stories (Extended Essay 1)

            By the end of 2011, “over 43.3 million people had been forcibly displaced due to conflict and persecution.” (UNHCR 2012) Approximately 10.4 million of these people have been officially labeled as “refugees”—that’s 24%. When examining the official definition of a refugee and what it takes to be granted that title, it becomes clear why these numbers are astonishing. What’s more astonishing is the realization that each one of these 43.3 million people have a story; a story of suffering, a story of pain, and a story that ultimately expresses the strength of the human spirit. There are over 10.4 million refugee stories in the world, and each one of them has a right to be shared. That poses an important question: how? How do we, as fellow humans, go about making sure these refugee stories are told in an uplifting way? To answer this question, there are three aspects of refugee stories we must look at. First, we must consider what defines a refugee and how that definition fits into the story. Next, the role of the author or storyteller, whether that is the refugee himself, a translator, or a third party, will be considered. Finally, the role of the listener and our part within a refugee’s story will be contemplated in order to promote growth for both the listeners and the refugees.

            The first mark of a refugee story we must consider is what makes a refugee a refugee. There are multiple ways to approach defining a refugee. One can look at “official definitions,” such as those provided by the UNHCR or the government, one can look to outside academic perspectives, or one can go to a refugee themselves and look at what defines them to gain a proper understanding of the composition of a refugee. The UNHCR defines refugees as, “people who are outside their country of nationality or habitual residence, and have a well-founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, or membership of a particular social group or political opinion.” (UNHCR. 2012. p. 8) The key to this definition is that a refugee must leave his or her home country in order to seek refuge from the pain of persecution.

            In addition to looking at official definitions for refugees, it is equally valuable to consider what a refugee is not in order to gain understanding of who he or she is. Katrina Powell discussed the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and its effect on those whose homes had been blighted in her article “Rhetorics of Displacement: Constructing Identities in Forced Relocations.” She approaches the definition of a refugee by contemplating the general American reaction to the Katrina disaster. She notes that “it is likely that many Americans would define refugees’ as people of color who are poor and need assistance.” (2012. p. 303) This ignorant assumption forces a specific identity on disaster victims who are not at all refugees. Hurricane Katrina victims were not fleeing their country of residence (they were simply moving around internally) and they were not fleeing persecution (they were fleeing uncontrollable environmental circumstances). There is a great deal of value in recognizing that our culture, at least on the majority, has a poor understanding of what a refugee is. This is, in part, inhibiting our nation’s ability to assist refugees to our full potential. America has the capacity to help thousands of refugees gain a new life of hope and opportunity each year, but that is entirely unattainable if much of this country does not know the truth surrounding who refugees are. This presents a responsibility to overcome these misconceptions through educating and promoting awareness about who is and who is not a refugee within our own country. 

            A crucial aspect of a refugee’s story is that it is entirely unique and entirely his or her own. Hearing the story of refugee’s through his or her own perspective is the most effective way of sharing these stories, and this method gives invaluable insight into a refugee’s identity. Refugees define themselves when they share their stories. The identity of a refugee is a hybrid; as Powell discussed, “as displaced bodies move, the identities they inhabit also move.” (2012. p. 300). This concept of “hybrid identities” perfectly encompasses a refugee’s story, because they remained largely defined by where they came from, their original culture and experiences, but they are in the process of developing a new identity through this new culture and unaccustomed way of life. This was displayed by the Lost Boys in the documentary God Grew Tired of Us: after having lived in the United States for over a year, the boys continued to eat using their hands, as opposed to using our traditional utensils. This worked to keep at least one element of their previous cultural identities alive while adjusting the remainder of it to their new homes.

            In God Grew Tired of Us, Of Beetles and Angels, and What is the What, the protagonist is left to lead the audience through a story all their own, on their own. This is precisely what makes these stories so powerful. No third party can share what refugees have gone through: how their identities have been affected, how hard they have had to work, or how they have kept their spirits alive through it all, quite like they can themselves. Despite the fact that there is oftentimes a language barrier present, as I experienced during the Voices of Refugee’s event. Three unique stories were shared, both by the refugees themselves and through a translator. Initially this annoyed me: “how are we going to fully grasp these stories if they are being told though a translator?” I found myself thinking. However, after hearing Tu Tu’s story of persecution, relocation, and an ubiquitous love for family and sewing, I realized that the fact that I couldn’t understand her words simply did not matter. What mattered was that Tu Tu had a story to share, and was taking the time to share it with me. Hearing her story, even through a translator, changed my perspective on women refugees—that’s the power of change hidden within each refugee story.

            In What is the What, Deng tells of his tedious wait to hear if he would gain a spot to come to America and leave Kakuma for good. In order to be considered for one of the spots, the refugees had to write out their story, beginning to end, for the first time. Deng tells of the Lost Boys exaggerating their stories in order to increase their likelihood of getting to America. This should be a controversial issue—the fact that refugees often exaggerate their stories to the point of potential falsehood; however, considering it is their story, they have the right to share it however they choose. Who can tell a refugee that his story is untrue? They were the only ones there through each event, and they are the only ones who have a complete understanding of what actually happened. Herein lies the value of having a refugee share his own story.

            An additional value to having a refugee share his or her own story is that it can help other refugees remember their own story. A problematic feature of many refugees’ stories is that they are often literally unable to recall much of the detail from their exodus. This can be a repercussion of age, trauma, or the meshing of one’s story with other refugees’. Imagine being unable to verbally recall the most defining and traumatic events in your life. As Mawi explained in Of Beetles and Angels, in order to learn what happened to him and his family when they fled Ethiopia, he and his siblings would often eavesdrop on the adults sharing the stories from that time over coffee. By listening to the stories of other refugees, Mawi began to reshape his story as events began coming back to him. Allowing refugees to share their stories may result in a similar chain reaction. It will not only work to emotionally heal the original storyteller, but eventually help more refugees experience that same sense of acceptance and healing.

            A final aspect of a refugee’s story to be considered is the role we play, as the listeners. An initial approach we must make concerns Powell’s discussion of our expectations surrounding refugee stories. She notes that “we expect refugee’s stories to…fulfill certain narrative expectations of othered-ness, victimization, and dependence on the state,” (Powell. 2012. p. 308) although, oftentimes these expectations are subconscious and unintentional. I learned this firsthand during a volunteer experience at Safari Thrift when I mindlessly assumed three of my fellow volunteers were refugees. After talking with and getting to know them, I learned they were three international students from DU—not what could be readily defined as refugees. Not to say that there is any shame in the fact that these expectations or stereotypes exist—it simply presents an opportunity to learn and to grow through them. It is imperative when listening to refugees’ stories to learn to have a mind that is completely open, and especially clear of media-induced or other preconceived stereotypes. I fell victim to a media-induced stereotype at Safari Thrift by thinking that three teenagers were refugees because they were of unique racial backgrounds and spoke with accents. Through this experience, I gained the insight to go into any experience having to do with refugees with a clear and un-expectant mind. Through this mindset, we are more likely to hear the stories exactly as they are—no matter what that may prove to be.

            As listeners, we must go into hearing a refugee’s story expecting personal growth. Refugees can alter our perspectives and shape our viewpoint from our “American bubble” to a more compassionate and accepting global viewpoint—the simple telling of their stories has as much to offer us as we could ever offer them through our service, listening, or support. A refugee story is one that deserves, even demands, to be told, and we, as the listeners, play a large part of that being realized.

            Refugee stories are separate from any other narratives. They are full of more suffering, hardship, and trauma than many of us will ever experience, but that does not mean they are not connected to us. Everyone has experienced struggle and pain at some point, and this is what allows us to have compassion and empathy when hearing the reality of a refugee’s life, and also what drives us to help generate change. Every single one of the 10.4 million refugees currently residing in our world deserves to have his or her story shared, and each victim deserves an opportunity to heal form the injustices performed against them. Through correctly identifying and defining refugees, allowing their voices to shine through within their own stories, and playing a supporting role as the audience, justice will be furthered through the telling of these stories.