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.
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