What kind of refugee are you?
There are two sorts in Cairo: those who have sought asylum in Egypt because of a 'well founded' fear of persecution based on race/ethnicity, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a social group (as defined in the 1951 Convention) ; and those who were compelled to leave their homes as a result of "external aggression, occupation, foreign domination or events seriously disturbing public order in either part or the whole of his country of origin or nationality" (as stated in the OAU Convention of 1969). The former category is the standard definition applied around the globe, while the latter applies only within Africa. This means if you're a 1969 refugee in Cairo you don't qualify for resettlement outside the continent... and there are no countries in Africa that currently offer resettlement. Essentially these refugees become stuck in transit countries where they first seek asylum, unable to move on, and in many cases unable to return - at least in the short run.
These days, this is often the story with Somalis in Cairo (unless from a minority group). There seems to be a growing community that cannot go back and lack the connections or clan-affiliations to leave. A number of the people I see are from this arid part of the world, and they have somehow found a special home in my heart. While I admittedly know very little about their cultures and country, I love characteristics I am beginning to identify - their reputation as prolific poets and story-tellers, the oft-tenacious and strong-willed personalities, the care of Somalis for their communities and families.
Since starting at AMERA I have noticed that those from different homelands in the horn of Africa often have different opportunities in Egypt... an Eritrean woman may turn down a live-in housekeeping position that pays 300 USD a month while a Somali is struggling to work for 300-400le a month as a traveling cleaner. There are so many single Somali women caring for many children, and they often seem to face much more difficulty integrating (as a result of racism, linguistics, gendered expectations, etc). Sudanese may face similar exposure to racism, but at least the majority of them arrive knowing the lingua franca.
How do you face the heaviness of someone's limited opportunities, or the cultural patterns that seem to hinder many Somali women from processing their experiences of rape or violence? I guess you profess your powerlessness, your limited ability to understand and work with worldviews that are so different from your own, and open to listening and learning. A friend and former AMERA-ite recently wrote "listening truly is an act of love and one of the most powerful skills we can offer to others". That is one act that is offered too rarely to many refugees and that can build bonds of humanity and perhaps even hope.
I have been thinking much of hope and pain over the past few weeks. Today it was therapeutic to laugh with a Somali friend over coffee, difficult to watch news of the latest drought (again exacerbated by the ongoing violence) on Somalian television with another dear family, and important to create space to hear the personal pains of a Somali family AMERA staff are working with to build stability and opportunities. It was also a blessing to digest the words of another who lived in and loved Somaliland as a stranger - Margaret Lawrence's accounts of her years there during her mid-twenties provide a beautiful exploration of the human condition and glimpses into Somali culture in the Prophet's Camel Bell. As I think about people I know from Somalia, and the faces of that news cast again her closing words (written in 1963) still seem fitting:
"What will happen there now, no one knows, but whatever course they [Somalis] take will not be an easy one in a land that has so few resources except human ones. The best we can wish them, and the most difficult, is expressed in their own words of farewell. Nabad gelyo - May you enter peace"
May those Somalis struggling in the limbo of Cairo, and each of us, also enter peace.
Source: NileNavigations
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