Moving stories

Refugee Week, in June, celebrates the contributions of refugees and invites us to look beyond our own circles to the refugee experience. Here are just a few stories from women who have had to make lives away from their own country. Interviews by Judith Charlton.

Bnar

I understand that, in Kurdistan, you worked as a photojournalist. I imagine this is a very male dominated profession in any country, but you were the first female photojournalist from your community.

Bnar was keen to emphasise that, whilst she was the first female photojournalist in Kurdistan, she doesn’t want to be seen as someone who isn’t aware of other females’ achievements in the wider world of journalism/media – or who doesn’t recognise and celebrate these. In Kurdistan, there are women working in this field (not many still) and she feels it is important they’re recognised too.

What made you take this career path?

Often in our life, when we want to start a new job or new career, we should have a reason to do the job. Here are my reasons for starting as a photojournalist.

Firstly, I am Kurdish and lived in Kurdistan which is in the Middle East. In most Middle Eastern countries, most jobs are either created by men or managed by men, so there is a feeling that all jobs are created for and only to be filled by men.

However, I believe that opportunities should be available equally to all genders.

The lack of women in my chosen field made me think, well why can’t women do this job? Still, today, many stories about women are not heard because they are not allowed to discuss this kind of story; either due to being silenced by their families or by opportunities to speak out just not being available.

Secondly, I saw that many foreign photographers come to Kurdistan and take photos and make stories that they show to the world. However, there are still so many hidden stories that are not discovered by anyone, particularly when the journalists coming to Kurdistan do not know the communities, language or culture. It leads to a misinformed perception. So, I said to myself that I wanted to change this.

What sort of obstacles have you had to overcome to succeed, and can you tell us a little about the work you have done?

Photo: Sean Gillen

You won’t imagine how many obstacles women face every day in the Middle East, especially women working in the media. Even now, you can see a lot of negative comments towards women working in these roles everywhere. Men want to draw a line for you; to stop you from travelling alone, going shopping or doing any normal thing, especially in those areas where there is war, conflict or political arguments. But I was lucky because my family supported me a lot.

I did so many stories, especially focused on women and children whose stories are so often unheard – women who suffer from domestic violence, and those women who are victims of war. They should have their own voice, opportunities and rights.

The most famous job I completed was Two Religions, One Roof. Two families from different religions, Muslim and Christian, lived in the same house with their respective families. Sharing the same roof, despite their religious differences, these two families lived in harmony. I have had exhibitions of this project in a number of countries.

You now live in Bristol: how long have you been there, and how do you like it?

It’s been nearly three years, and Bristol is a charming and beautiful city. I have seen many other cities in the UK in those three years, but for me, Bristol will be my favourite. The local people are really friendly.

Have you been able to continue with your work as a photographer since you have been here?

Yes, I have done some things and I would love eventually to make my career as a photojournalist here. My photos have been published here in Bristol, and I participated in some exhibitions in some other cities in the UK.

What is a refugee?

In the UK, a person gains refugee status once the government is satisfied that they meet the criteria contained in the 1951 Refugee Convention, which defines a refugee as someone who has fled their own country ‘owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion’.

I gather that you would like to pursue your studies at university. How easy are you finding it to achieve this – no doubt the pandemic hasn’t helped – and what is it that you would like to study?

Currently, I am a student at City of Bristol College. I study ESOL – these are essential English classes for speakers of other languages – and Maths. It’s not easy when you study in another language. Still, when you have a goal, it is super easy to get the motivation to do this. It’s tough when you are writing, I have a problem with grammar and I’m keen to learn as quickly as possible.

Oh, and then the pandemic! This took a lot of things from all of us. It was tough because I am alone here without family, and I was in a hostel. It was very hard to pass the day between those four walls. I want to study documentary and filming at university here if I can complete my current studies.

What do you hope your studies will lead to?

There is a really nice quote: ‘Keep your eyes on the star, and your feet on the ground.’ With my studies and dreams in mind, I would like to become a full-time photojournalist and continue the work I was doing before.

I understand you came originally from Sarajevo in Bosnia, and that you left, aged 17, at the time of the Bosnian war. Are you able to tell us a little about what led up to your departure, and how you reached the UK?

I came to the UK as part of a medical evacuation of sick children and their families from Sarajevo. It happened in the middle of the war. My brother, aged 11 at the time, was gravely injured and needed treatment which could not be provided in Sarajevo. Because I was still a minor, I was able to accompany him and my mum to the UK. My dad died during the Bosnian war, three months prior to this.

17 is a very young age at which to start out in a strange country. What was your experience when you arrived here – did you have friends or family here to help you find accommodation and so on, or were you reliant on government or aid agencies? What are your memories now of some of the best and worst bits of that time?

Photo: Bnar Sardar

We had no one and we were not able to speak English either. Something called Bosnia Project was set up in Birmingham a few months earlier to help resettle Bosnians who arrived from concentration camps, and they helped us too. They helped us find housing and apply for benefits.

Worst bits of that time was having to rely on other people – we were used to being independent and doing things for ourselves and we found this incredibly frustrating.

The best thing about it was meeting some amazing people who helped us a lot, especially our new neighbours. They were welcoming, friendly and went out of their way to help out – whether it was just by taking us out for a day or giving us spare furniture and accessories. They helped us restore our faith in humanity, something we lost in Bosnia.

At the age of 17, you might have expected to continue studying for a while. Was this the case, and was it possible?

We arrived in August, so in September I started studying English at a local language centre, but soon realised that this wasn’t enough and I needed to continue my education. In Bosnia, I had completed three out of four years of high school so I knew I needed to do A Levels. So in January, a term into an academic year, I enrolled at a local college, choosing subjects which needed the least English possible even though they wouldn’t have been my natural choice. I went for Maths, Computing and Physics. Very quickly, I realised that I couldn’t do computing – I didn’t even understand the questions let alone be able to answer them, so I swapped it for Statistics. I studied my A levels alongside my English exams which I needed for university – it was pretty tough going as in June 1995 I sat 18 different exam papers.

I went on to study Management at Aston University.

What is life like now, 27 years on? I gather you now have a family and a career as a marketing director, which is great.

I work at a further education college as part of their senior management team, my job title is Executive Director: Marketing and Customer Experience. I have always enjoyed studying and I’ve recently done my Masters in Marketing. I have a family – an Italian partner and twin girls, aged seven. My mum and brother still live here, they’re very local to me. I have done a lot of charity work, as I really believe in giving back to the society that gave me another chance. I have mentored refugees, fundraised for the hospital where my kids were born, volunteered as a regional chair for Remembering Srebrenica, spoken at events about my experience of the war and I’m currently a trustee for a charity which helps people with disabilities.

I have also started writing a book about my experiences of the war and as a refugee. In fact, it’s a series of letters between me and my best friend in Sarajevo which we wrote to each other when we were in the war and carried on writing when I came to the UK.

Happy anniversary!

July sees the 70th anniversary of the the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. This, along with its 1967 Protocol, forms the cornerstone of refugee protection. It defines who is a refugee, and outlines the rights of refugees, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them.

The core principle is non-refoulement, which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.

The main focus of the 1951 Refugee Convention was Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War. The 1967 Protocol removes the geographical and time limits, which restricted its protections to persons who became refugees due to events occurring in Europe before 1 January 1951. https://www.unhcr.org/uk/1951-refugee-convention.html

Let’s cook!

Online cookalong 6pm, 2 September, cost £30 Migrateful is a charity that supports refugees and asylum seekers by running cookery classes where they can share their skills, work towards integration and employment, and bring you some fabulous food from their home cuisine!

Refugee Voices

A refugee tells her story 16 September We are grateful to have been awarded a Refugee Voices bursary to enable us to offer this online presentation. Look out in the newsletter and on Event Stop for more details.

What is an asylum seeker?

An asylum seeker is someone who left their own country and has asked for asylum in another country, but has not yet received a decision on their application. We all have a legal right to seek asylum. It is enshrined in Article 14 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as in the 1951 Refugee Convention. Refugee Week, which this year took place 14–20 June, is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions of refugees. With a theme of ‘We Cannot Walk Alone,’ taken from Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech’, the week sees hundreds of arts, cultural and community events and activities held by a wide range of organisations and groups across the country. We are grateful to the organisers for arranging for these interviews to take place. www.refugeeweek.org.uk

I understand you are a Palestinian currently living in Lebanon. Can you tell us a bit about your situation – when did you, or your family, leave Palestine, and under what circumstances?

Photo: Bnar Sardar

I am a stateless Palestinian refugee living in Rashidieh camp, one of the 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. I am from Al-Bassa village in the north of Palestine and I belong to the third refugee generation who have been living in protracted displacement and exile for more than 72 years so far. I have never seen or been to my Palestinian village, or to Palestine. I have lived through multiple displacements with my family until we finally lived in our camp.

My grandparents were expelled from their homes in Al-Bassa during the 1948 Israeli occupation of Palestine, during which attacks were directed against villages and neighbourhoods which included killing of armed and unarmed men, destruction of houses and sometimes expulsion of inhabitants. This exodus is known as the 1948 Nakba, which means ‘catastrophe’.

Where do most refugees come from?

In 2020 the largest number, 6.7m, came from Syria, where the war has now continued for 10 years. After Syria comes Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar – during this period 68% of the world’s refugees came from just these five countries. https://www.unhcr.org/uk/figures-ata-glance.html

What is life like in Lebanon – I gather there are a great many Palestinian refugees living there.

As of 1 January 2019, there were 475,075 Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency) in Lebanon. Around 45% of these live in the 12 refugee camps. UNRWA provides services in the camps, but it does not administer or police them, as this is the responsibility of the host authorities.

The conditions are dire and characterised by overcrowding, poor housing conditions, unemployment, poverty and lack of access to justice. Because they are not formally citizens of another state, Palestine refugees are unable to claim the same rights as other foreigners living and working in Lebanon.

They cannot own property and they cannot work in as many as 39 professions, despite refugees having strong human capital as a result of the education and health structures provided in the camps by UNRWA.

You are coming to the UK later this year to study for a Master’s degree – congratulations on getting a place! What subject will you be studying and what are you hoping it will lead to?

I will be studying for a PhD in Migration Studies at the University of Kent’s Global Challenges Doctoral Centre. This is funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund and is dedicated to supporting and connecting doctoral and postdoctoral researchers who are working to address challenges in developing countries. I am very proud to be leading this research, and I hope that it will help to reduce the knowledge gap and shift the narratives about the contributions and the value of refugees, and inspire sustainable solutions that will build healthier communities.

Have you been to the UK before? Do you have any family or friends here or will you have to build up new networks?

From 2019-2020 I studied for an MA in Development and Emergency Practice at Oxford Brookes University, so I lived in Oxford for one year and three months. This was via a Chevening Scholarship, which is funded by the UK government and enables some of the best students and professionals from around the world to study in the UK.

I adored living in Oxford, both before Covid and during the pandemic. During the pandemic I was one of the NHS volunteers helping people in the city. Oxford became part of my identity. I have my brother who is living in London and I have made a lot of lasting connections and friendships in the UK and at Oxford, which I am really very proud of. I completed the course and graduated, and returned to Lebanon in December 2020.

I am now looking forward to returning to the UK to pursue my PhD, and to living in Canterbury.

What are your hopes for the future? Do you envisage it ever being possible to return to Palestine?

I hope that my Palestinian refugee community will be able to live in peace and prosperity, with dignity and humanity. Right to return is a fundamental right and dream for all Palestinian refugees who are living in exile and displacement, and it will always be my belief that one day I will be able to return to Palestine along with my family or my children, who knows? I really want to work very hard to keep my Palestinian identity and voice, to share my story and to seek justice for my people and homeland.

I want to achieve my dreams to be a Doctor and to use my voice to shift the negative image of refugees by acting as a positive role model. As a refugee myself, my personal experience adds value to my work because I understand the needs of refugees – and I also understand what they can contribute.

I have achieved great things through my passion and determination, and because I was able to access education. I believe it is vitally important that all girls and young women get a good education, as is their right, and with it they cannot just improve their own lives but change the world for the better. I want to to be a voice for the voiceless, and to be a role model for the girls and women in my community.

So, I have this message:

‘To all refugee women and girls, I say keep fighting for your rights, keep dreaming and keep believing in yourself. Your dream will be achieved!’

Where do they go?

Most refugees – 86% in 2020 – are hosted by developing countries, and most of these neighbour the refugees’ countries of origin. Turkey had the largest number with 3.7m, followed by Colombia, Pakistan, Uganda and, the only European host country in the top five, Germany. https://www.unhcr.org/uk/figures-ata-glance.html