Course Reflection Essay

The Definition of Refugee            

            On day one of our Writ 1733 class, I really had no idea what to expect. I knew that the class revolved around refugees and that there was a service-learning component that would have to be completed at the African Community Center. However, I had never learned much about refugees and had not done any research about what kind of work the African Community Center did. However, at the end of the class, I now realize how much I really did learn and accomplish. Throughout the class we have defined and redefined what a refugee is, beginning with the basic definition put forth by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees which defines refugees as “people who are outside their country of nationality or habitual residence and have a well-founded fear of persecution” (UNHCR 8). This term served as a basis, but throughout the class I have learned that a refugee is much, much more than this definition and that each refugee defines the term in his or her own way.

            The service-learning structure of the class allowed us to learn about refugees on both an academic and personal level. We were able to read novels and memoirs written by refugees, as well as critical journal articles about them, while at the same time interacting with real refugees face-to-face at the ACC. We were provided with so many levels of understanding and knowledge about this group of people. From What is the What, I learned that a refugee’s struggle does not end with resettlement in America or another first world country. Katrina M. Powell’s article “Rhetorics of Displacement: Constructing Identities in Forced Relocations” taught me that refugees often experience a “shattering of identity”, a difficult journey in which “the paths of displacement are violent” for the refugees forced to leave behind everything they once knew and by which they defined themselves  (301). Through my own experience at the ACC, I found that, while every refugee has faced different struggles, each one is often so happy to have the opportunity to start a new life in America. I was amazed by the courage and optimism I saw in every refugee I met. The experience really humbled me because I realized how privileged I am to be provided with the life and opportunities I currently have. 

            I also found that my knowledge of refugees has been useful outside of our specific class.  In my community wellness class, we were discussing policy issues related to community needs and well being. We read an article entitled ““The Economics of International Refugee Law” by Ryan Bubb, Michael Kremer, and David I, Levine, which discusses how “most refugees are now concentrated in poorer countries near their country of origin, often with limited economic opportunities” (368) and the international policy issues surrounding that problem. The article gave me a lot of perspective because I realized that refugee struggles are not isolated to those resettling in America and that refugee issues have sizable international implications.

            Ultimately, what I will take away from this class is the importance of true understanding when it comes to refugees as a group. Too often, the media misrepresents refugees as coming from places that are savage or barbaric. For example depictions of Sudanese refugees often incorporated “hegemonic understandings of Africa as a “’bushland’” which is inaccurate and demeaning to those refugees (Fadlalla 106). It is unfortunate that so many people do not have the kind of experience and knowledge I have gained from this class by working with and learning about refugees. These people will have false ideas and prejudices about a group of people that I have found to be both inspiring and a joy to work and spend time with.

            The realization that refugees are so misunderstood has encouraged me to continue to work with and learn about this group of people beyond this class. When refugee stories are understood properly, assisting the refugee population can be more effective. For example, employers or volunteers will not stereotype refugees they might be working with as uneducated or barbaric people. Instead, they will recognize that refugees are individuals and each one has unique skills and abilities. On a larger scale, education is important to influence policy decisions about refugees in the United States and abroad. At one point, I was totally unaware of the desperate situation refugees are facing around the globe, and I’m sure many others are unaware as well. The first step in resolving a problem like this is education. If we are not educated about who refugees are and what they are facing, we cannot hope to help them in any meaningful ways.

            Now that I am at least somewhat educated about the situation of refugees around the world and the many challenges they are facing both in America and abroad, I feel that it is my duty to spread awareness and continue to volunteer to help refugees. I know that all actions toward the cause can be beneficial. From helping one refugee fill out job applications to letting others know about that they can do to help, I know that my individual efforts can be meaningful. 

ACC Project Reflection

ACC Project Reflection

            For my part of the “Working with Refugees” class project, I worked with Faith and Raza to format and compile the class documents into one cohesive piece for the ACC.  To do this, we created a template and a cover page, and then copied and pieces written by the other groups.  We also had to compile a sources list and insert profiles relating to the interviews we did earlier in the year.  Personally, I made the cover page, compiled the source list, and created the “spotlight” sections that included a few of the interviews that were conducted.  I also made the final edits of the document once my group members had formatted their specific parts (Faith formatted the introduction and backgrounders, while Raza formatted the volunteers section).

            Although I didn’t work on writing the content that went into the project, I still feel that I learned a great deal. I initially felt like I wouldn’t be contributing much to the project because I was simply assigned to compile what everyone else had completed. However, I soon discovered that every detail of the writing process, and the group process, is important.  Without the final editing and formatting, the project wouldn’t have looked nearly as professional or aesthetically appealing.  The visual aspect was especially important in this project because it is a professional document that the ACC might use to inform volunteers and refugee employers.  If it were sloppy and difficult to read, the ACC might not use it or the volunteers and employers might not want to spend the time reading it. So I learned that with professional and business writing the presentation of the writing is just as important as the writing itself.

            I also think that the project as a whole really illustrated what we learned as a class about service learning.  Too often, people talk about volunteering in terms of the benefit it has to the volunteer and not to the organization or cause that the person is volunteering for.  Through our class, we talked a little bit about how service should not be fully a self-centered act.  A person shouldn’t base his or her volunteer experience on the benefit it had to him or her individually.  Instead, there should be an effort to make the experience mutually beneficial.  I learned this through my personal time volunteering at the ACC, as I wasn’t able to work personally with refugees as much as I would have liked.  I also think this project reflected that idea because it was really a way to give something tangible to the ACC.  Hopefully, the ACC will find the document useful in the future. 

Interview Transcript

Interview Transcript- Daniel Sauvé

Introduction: I interviewed Daniel Sauvé, an employment specialist at the African Community Center.  The purpose of the interview was to gain understanding about the procedures used to help refugees find employment in the United States.  I also wanted to learn about the ACC employees’ own experiences working with refugees and their views on the refugee experience especially as it relates to employment.

What is the procedure for employing a refugee?

            It very much depends on the individual.  Refugees come with all different types of skills, different levels of English, different backgrounds as far as education and work. So if folks don’t speak much English or if there is room to improve they sign up for English classes, they’ll go to job training classes— we have some for lower level English speakers and higher-level English speakers— and then once they get their documentation (usually their employment card, social security card, and ID) then we can begin applying for jobs for them. Then we just work with them, you know, we tell them to work their networks and then we will use our contacts until we can find an appropriate position for them and then we provide support for them beyond that process as well.

Do you guys have a system for allowing refugees to assimilate to American culture?

            So part of the trainings are working on American work culture and what timeliness means because in some cultures timeliness is a little less strict. Also the idea of working in a company, because many refugees were working in their countries in the informal sector.  Just what it means to go to work at a certain time and have a manager, etc. So that’s the kind of acculturation we’re dealing with, it is mostly employment related.

What are the struggles? What is the easiest portion of job placement?

            The hardest part is always motivation.  If somebody is not motivated to work there is nothing we can do to make him or her take a job. There are ways that we work with people to kind of help them see their different options as far as if they are not working then they will be relying on public benefits which only lasts a short period of time and then you could be on the streets or waiting for their friends to help them. We try to present the options to help motivate people. So that is kind of the way we try to get around the motivation. So that is definitely the hardest part. 

            Language is a difficulty but if people have a good attitude and are willing to work hard, we can get people who don’t speak much English a job. So really it’s the attitude and the motivation that is the most difficult part.  We even have people who speak perfect English, but they don’t want to take a job that they see is beneath them.  When you’re first new in the country its hard to get people to take a job that they’ll need just to get started here, but they feel that it is beneath them.

            The easiest part is when somebody comes in and they have a great attitude and they are willing to take whatever job and they understand the system of taking an entry-level job and then working your way up.  People who understand that concept are going to succeed a lot quicker.

Do you receive external support from outside agencies?

            We have other organizations that we work with for training. Emily Griffith does the ESL training and they do a training called WISC, which is a Work Intensive Skills Class, which is for lower English, and Pathways to Employment, which is a higher-level English class. The Spring Institute does classes as well. One is for lower level English and then the other one is specifically for women to help them get some job skills.  Those are the two major outside organizations we are working with as far as training goes.  Lutheran Family Services has training in housekeeping which we also refer people to. Also our employment partners that we work with who help us with placement.   We also work with an organization called Colorado Welcome Back they help people get back into the medical field.

What is your picture of a successful refugee?

The way I look at it is getting people to choose the life that they want to live.  At the beginning, people are going to have to take whatever job they can get.  But if we can give them the skills so that they can do well in their job in order to upgrade and eventually move into the field that they want to be in and sort of guide them towards that and guide them towards resources for education and things like that.  Whenever we can help somebody either get back into the field they were before or into the field they really want to be in, that’s success for me.  We don’t really measure success in terms of how much money somebody is making but rather how fulfilled somebody is or if they are able to support their family.  For some people that’s all it is about, as long as they can support their family and maybe send some money back home.

Have you noticed a culture shock with refugees who come in?

It depends on where they’re coming from, and some people more than others and some folks whose experiences have been from more of a rural environment that don’t have as much exposure to a metropolitan lifestyle. But then you have other people coming from Iraq or Baghdad who are very well educated and very cosmopolitan. They also have different expectations and ideas about what they are going to find here.  So everyone has his or her own culture shock.  It’s either that things are very different or that things are less than they expected. People have ideas about America that they’ve seen on TV so they have a whole different set of expectations.  So part of our job is to realign people’s expectations and let them know what they are going to find here.

How do you feel about your personal work at the ACC?

            It varies from day to day. There are days when I just feel so stressed out and it’s difficult because you feel people are relying on you for their livelihood and it’s a very difficult pressure to carry. But then when you are able to help someone succeed and people are very appreciative and will come back in and thank you.  Maybe I’ve forgotten about what we did to help them, but it’s a very personal thing.  We are dealing with hundreds of people but they only have one employment specialist.  I feel that overall it’s very fulfilling and I definitely feel like we are able to improve people’s lives in tangible ways but sometimes you get worn down from day to day just doing the work.

What is your favorite refugee story?

            One guy that I worked with recently was a surgeon in his country. For a lot of people in the medical profession, they have a hard time getting back into their field. So when he came he spoke good English and had a great attitude and we almost put him into a job in window manufacturing.  He would make decent money and would probably be able to support himself, but it was so out of line with what he wanted to do.  So we thought let’s hold back on that and refer him to the Welcome Back program who hooked him up with some trainings to get him started in the health care field. So it was just an entry-level job but at least he was working in the hospital environment.  He has now moved his way up and now he’s an assistant to a surgeon, so he’s still not able to practice at the same level he was, but he’s getting back to that point. So for me, that’s somebody who comes back in and I get to see every now and then and he seems to be doing well.

Do certain jobs have a refugee-retentive atmosphere?

It really depends on the company more so than the job title.  There are certain companies we work with that are really good about treating our people as people and treating them with dignity and letting them know that no matter what position they are in their role is important.  We have employers that pay close to the minimum wage, but employers stay there because the workers are treated very well.  We have jobs that pay a couple dollars more an hour and people don’t want to work there because it is just a bad environment for people to work in and they don’t feel valued.  There are other places like the meat packing plants that treat people really poorly but they pay such an outstanding wage for people who don’t even speak English, you know they can start out at 14 dollars an hour, so people are willing to put up with being in an unsafe environment where they are not treated particularly well.  So we definitely see organization to organization and hear back from people, which employers they like to work for.  And they’ll talk to each other, you know, they’ll let the community know “Oh you’re working at that place and they treat you like that” well I took them over here because they do this for us. So people communicate with each other and decide if they hear of a better opportunity for themselves they are going to pursue it. And they definitely let us know their feedback on where they’re working.

How do you match refugee expectations with what is actually feasible?

            The first thing we do is an orientation letting people know how things work here. I do try to tell people that you’re probably going to start out in a job that’s not your forever job, you’re not always going to be in this position, but in order to start, you just need something on your resume.  So I definitely try to temper people’s expectations that your first job is not going to be a great job, but its going to be something that will pay your bills and something to get on your resume, and then you’re going to work up from there. For some people it just takes time and they don’t believe you. They think, “no I’m just going to get right into the job I was working before” and maybe they don’t have English skills or maybe they don’t have the cultural competency so that they’re able to do that same job at the same level they were able to do it before.  So for some people, it just takes time, some people refuse all of the entry-level jobs for a year until they just say, “okay I need to just take anything” and then they’re willing to lower their expectations.  You’re working with individuals who have their own will and their own ideas about what life they want to live so I think we just try to give people a real picture and then just work with them over time as far as setting their goals and expectations.  And then letting them know, if they say, “this is where I want to be”, giving them a realistic set of steps to take to get there. Rather than having them think they’re going to move right to that job.

How is it trying to find jobs in the Denver Community?

            It’s not.  Right now we have jobs that we aren’t able to fill just because we have a lot of jobs open.  It’s seasonal— so in the winter there are a lot fewer people hiring and in the spring and into the summer there are a lot more people hiring so it fluctuates.  And also in the last few years with the downturn in the economy, it’s kind of been difficult all around. But now we are seeing a lot of jobs so we can usually find jobs for anyone who is willing to work.  Right now we are struggling with a lot of our folks who have almost no English, which makes it difficult, but we have been able to move a lot of people, even without English, into jobs.  So right now it’s a pretty good job market. A lot of our people are working in hotels and restaurants.  Usually places where they don’t have as much communication with customers or guests.  Those are jobs that our folks can do that have a lot of turnover generally and our folks will usually stay in those jobs longer than an American.  So if they are going to hire people they usually seek out our folks because they know they are going to find people who are going to work hard and they are going to stick around usually longer than American employees.

What is your favorite thing to do in Denver?

The great thing about our community is that it has all types of great food so I like to enjoy all the different types of food from all of the different countries that are in our community.

Reflection

I felt that the interview with Daniel went very well.  He was more than happy to answer all of my questions and was very thorough with his answers.  It was especially helpful because he allowed me to interview him on a last-minute notice.  I was originally supposed to interview Hussein but he was really sick and didn’t want to get me sick as well. 

Even though I have been volunteering regularly in the ACC this quarter, I still learned so many things about the ACC and refugees in general through the interview with Daniel. I felt that it was very helpful research method.  Listening to a first-hand account is a lot more powerful and interesting than simply reading an article about refugee employment.  

Burmese Refugee Backgrounder

Burma Backgrounder-Faith, Raza, and Lexi

Basic Context of Burmese Refugees

There are hundreds of thousands of Burmese refugees that flee from Burma every year. Faced with persecution everywhere they turn, they have no option but to hide and run away from horrors in their home. Living conditions in refugee camps these Burmese refugees are also terrible, with little water and food to pass around. In fact, families live in houses made of bamboo that are demolished on a daily basis.

Although Burma celebrated its independence in 1948, many ethnic groups, such as the Karen ethnic group (the largest source of refugees), wanted their own states. However, Burma has refused to give these various groups their independence, resulting in violence to this day. Additionally, religious persecution has been a problem, especially for the Karen ethnic group. While most of Burma is affiliated with Buddhism, the people of the Karen group are predominantly Christian. This has caused high tensions between these groups, resulting in bloodshed.

With all of this discrimination, it is understandable why some citizens of Burma feel the need to relocate to foreign countries. After relocating, they face many obstacles and challenges, namely the difficulty in assimilating into the culture menacingly engulfing them. Nonetheless, this group overcomes these barriers through hard work and determination.

 Burmese Refugee Resettlement: The Importance of Community

            Burmese refugees have been resettling in America in large numbers in recent years. The largest population of Burmese refugees resides in St. Paul Minnesota.  This area is very successful in resettling these refugees.  The success of the refugees in St. Paul is largely attributed to the existing populations of Burmese refugees living there.  This means that newly arriving refugees already have a strong community of very similar people to form immediate connections with.  Refugees are able to learn from one another and encourage each other along the way.

Burmese Refugee Resettlement: Employment

            One of the primary struggles Burmese refugees face upon arrival in America is finding employment.  Most Burmese refugees feel that their lack of English skills has prevented them from being able to find jobs in America or finding jobs that allow them to financially support their family.  Even when the Burmese are able to find jobs, they are often disappointed at the level of job they are able to attain, as they are often forced to take entry-level and minimum-wage jobs. They often experience disillusionment as they face the reality of living in America with the vision they had of America before they resettled.

Mental Health of Burmese Refugees

Mental health is a pressing issue in people of all backgrounds and is most often not given the attention that it needs in order to be properly dealt with. This is especially true in victims of trauma, especially in refugees. However, cultural differences between refugees (in this case the Burmese) and their caseworkers in their country of asylum can result in significant problems when attempting to deal with symptoms like flashbacks, persistent and intrusive troubling thoughts, trouble sleeping, and even suicidal behavior. In order to help a refugee most effectively, it is important to take note of the factors in their lives that are most pertinent to their mental health, and their attitudes towards mental health in general and seeking counseling. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry conducted a study of Burmese refugees seeking asylum and eventual resettlement in Australia in order to determine what factors best predicted their mental health. Interestingly enough, it was not the refugees’ traumatic past but rather their worries about living in their resettlement country, legal issues, and the state of their family back home that were the greatest factors in the state of their mental health. The implication for this is primarily for caseworkers working with Burmese refugees and psychologists and/or counselors that may be working with them. When assessing a Burmese refugee’s mental health status or attempting “talk therapy”, it is important to focus more heavily on their life in the asylum country rather than focusing too much on the trauma from their home country, as the former is more relevant to their ongoing health.

Additionally, it is important to understand Burmese attitudes towards mental healthcare in general in order to assist them in dealing with any troubling behaviors that might be observed while they are in their country of resettlement. The New Internationalist published an article by Nick Harvey about the treatment of Burmese refugees dealing with persistent and troubling psychopathological symptoms. He suggested that Western methods of psychological care are not always relevant to the Burmese experience. This is due to two major factors-the first being that common Western labels for mental health issues don’t always fit seemingly similar conditions in the Burmese, and that methods of therapy generally employed by Western practitioners tend to not be helpful. An example of Western labels not fitting the Burmese refugee experience is that of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The refugee experience, while in their country of origin, refugee camps, and even their resettlement camps is one of ongoing trauma rather than the experience of an isolated trauma and then the recovery. In this case, the model doesn’t fit and ought to be re-evaluated for relevance. Additionally, refugees tend to associate counseling and “talk therapy” as needed for only those suffering from full psychosis or breakdowns. They don’t view mental health on a spectrum as Western psychologists tend to, and therefore don’t see the need to go to therapy. For that reason, it is more effective to simply have conversations with Burmese refugees and avoid labeling it as counseling to avoid the negative connotations that are associated with counseling.

Selected Sources

1.     Mitschke, Diane B., Aaron E Mitsche, Holli M. Slater and Consoler Teboh. “Uncovering Health and Wellness Needs of Resettled Karen Refugees from Burma”. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. 21:5 (2011): 490-501. Web. 11 May 2013.

2.     "UNHCR Quick Fact Sheet: Burmese Resettlement from Tham Hin Camp in Thailand." UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency. (2007): 1-4. Print. <http://www.lcfsrefugees.blogs.com/cultural_descriptions/UNHCR Quick Fact Sheet -- Burmese.pdf>.

3.     Harvey, Nick. "Our Trauma Is Not Your Trauma." New Internationalist 452 (2012): 24-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 May 2013.

4.     Mary Asic-Kobe, et al. "Mental Health Of Newly Arrived Burmese Refugees In Australia: Contributions Of Pre-Migration And Post-Migration Experience." Australian & New Zealand Journal Of Psychiatry 45.4 (2011): 299-307. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 May 2013.

5.     Mitschke, Diane B., Aaron E Mitsche, Holli M. Slater and Consoler Teboh. “Uncovering Health and Wellness Needs of Resettled Karen Refugees from Burma”. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. 21:5 (2011): 490-501. Web. 1 May 2013. 

6.     Harkins, Benjamin. “Beyond “Temporary Shelter”: A Case Study of Karen Refugee Resettlement in St. Paul, Minnesota”.  Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies. 10:2 (2012): 184-203. Web. 1 May 2013.  

P11

The Congolese Backgrounder from the Cultural Orientation Resource Center and the Employer Guide to Hiring Refugees from the ACC both contained a lot of interesting and important information about refugees and the employment of those refugees.  The employment guide offered good information about the process of hiring a refugee, and what that experience entails: both the good parts and the difficult parts.  I thought it was useful how they included a frequently asked questions section to immediately ease the common anxieties employers have about the prospect of hiring refugees. This information is intended to cover all refugees so it was a bit broad in that sense, but still helpful in giving employers crucial knowledge regarding refugees as employees.

The Congolese Backgrounder contained pertinent information for both employers and volunteers interested in working with this specific group.  It was especially helpful because it focused on one group of refugees and was therefore able to give more detailed and accurate information about what working with them would be like.  I felt that the sections providing historical background of the refugees’ struggles as well as the sections covering Congolese traditions and customs were very useful.  This information would give employers and volunteers greater context and understanding of the refugees’ lives and behaviors.

While some information could be excluded for the purpose of saving space (such as food and drink information or health care information) I think the more employers and volunteers know about the refugees they are working with, the better. Therefore, when creating a “Working with Refugees” document, I believe it would be appropriate to include both specific and general information about refugees.  It is important that employers have general information about the processes involved in employing a refugee, but that they also understand the specific details of the refugees they are hiring.  Including this information will ensure that they are best prepared for the unique refugee coming to work with them. 

Annotated Bibliography

Burmese Annotated Bibliography

Harkins, Benjamin. “Beyond “Temporary Shelter”: A Case Study of Karen Refugee Resettlement in St. Paul, Minnesota”.  Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies. 10:2 (2012): 184-203. Web. 1 May 2013.  This article examines a specific Burmese refugee community in St. Paul Minnesota.  St. Paul, Minnesota was chosen because it currently houses the largest number of Karen refugees in the nation.  The article provides information on both the history in Burma that created the need for refugee resettlement, as well as the actual resettlement processes these refugees are facing in America.   This article could be useful because it explains how St. Paul is helping this group of refugees resettle in America successfully, which could certainly be applicable to Burmese refugees in Denver.

Kenny, Paul and Kate Lockwood-Kenny.  “A Mixed Blessing: Karen Resettlement to the United States”. Journal of Refugee Studies. 24:2 (2011): 217-238. Web. 1 May 2013. This article specifically details the resettlement process of Burmese refugees.  It considers the role of the government in the process and the role of voluntary organizations. The paper covers many areas of resettlement, including healthcare, employment, and education.  This article can be useful in understanding exactly how the resettlement process works for this ethnic group and which parts of the resettlement process should be readdressed, as well as which parts are working well.

McKay, Sonia. Refugees, Recent Migrants and Employment : Challenging Barriers and Exploring Pathways. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2008. Ebook Library. Web. 02 May. 2013.  This book looks at the refugee experience, and specifically refugee employment, from a broad perspective.  It includes all kinds of refugees— from all different backgrounds.  It looks at employment from many perspectives including policy understandings, academic understandings, and more.  This article can be helpful in gaining a fuller understanding of refugee employment as a whole and how the policies work and don’t work.

Milbrant, Jay. “Tracking Genocide: Persecution of the Karen in Burma.” Texas International Law Journal. 48:1 (2012): 63-101. Web. 1 May 2013.  This article describes and analyzes the situation in Burma that has led to many Burmese Karen people immigrating to the United States as refugees. This article can be helpful in researching this group because in order to make sure their needs are met currently, it is important to understand their past.  

Mitschke, Diane B., Aaron E Mitsche, Holli M. Slater and Consoler Teboh. “Uncovering Health and Wellness Needs of Resettled Karen Refugees from Burma”. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. 21:5 (2011): 490-501. Web. 1 May 2013.  This article covers the struggles and needs of Burmese refugees who have recently resettled in America.  The article discusses how the primary need of these refugees is employment, but it is a struggle to find employment due to their lack of education and English skills.  This article can be helpful in understanding how difficult it is for the Burmese refugees to find work, and what barriers exist in getting them employed. 

Extended Essay Final

How to Tell a Refugee Story

            A refugee story is essentially a story of displacement.  It is a story of two places.  One place is home; another is becoming home.  The UNHCR defines refugees as “people who are outside their country of nationality or habitual residence and have a well-founded fear of persecution” (UNHCR 8).  A refugee story is complex: it deals with the difficulties involved in moving from one location to another, and the identity struggles that go along with that.  However, each story has the potential to give the listener important knowledge— knowledge that can change lives— both in America and in the countries where the refugees are from.  This knowledge can be shared through the refugees’ stories. To make sure this knowledge is imparted, the storyteller must know how to tell a refugee story.  In this essay, I will explore several important aspects of telling a refugee story, from the many purposes behind each story to the importance of the themes of location and identity and how those themes demand accurate portrayal of those locations.  By analyzing these points, I hope to share the power of refugee stories can hold when they are told both fully and honestly.

            First and foremost, the storyteller must determine the purpose for telling the refugee story.  The purpose of a refugee story can be multi-faceted, or a combination of inward and outward facing elements.  This is illustrated in Dave Eggers’ novel What is the What.  In the preface, Valentino Achak Deng explains why he wanted to tell his story, which was written by Eggers.  Deng explains the outward-facing purpose of his novel through his statement: “I wanted to reach out to others to help them understand Sudan’s place in our global community” (xiv), a purpose that is selfless, and a means of benefiting his homeland rather than himself.  At the end of the novel, Deng reflects that the purpose of telling his story was not solely outward facing, but also served a personal function.  Deng tells his audience that, “I speak to you because I cannot help it. It gives me strength, almost unbelievable strength, to know that you are there” (Eggers 535).  For Deng, storytelling serves a personal purpose as well, and the action of telling his story gives him strength and fulfillment that is satisfying in and of itself. 

            Each refugee story has its own unique purposes behind it.  Every author has certain motivations, and these motivations work to determine which details the storyteller includes and which ones are excluded.  For example, when considering the following three refugee stories: God Grew Tired of Us, Of Beetles and Angels, and What is the What, it can be noted how each story has different focuses.  God Grew Tired of Us follows the Lost Boys’ journeys in America, and their struggles to find work to support their families at home.  Detail about their persecution in Sudan was only used as a means of introduction.  Similarly, Of Beetles and Angels most heavily details Mawi Asgedom’s life in America.  These stories’ purposes were not to bring attention to circumstances in the refugees’ homelands, but rather to detail their struggles and successes as resettled refugees in America.  Deng’s story, on the other hand, places equal attention to his life in Sudan and in the refugee camp as well as on his life in America.  However, his rhetorical choice makes sense, considering he wanted to inform others about the ordeals of Africans and refugees in Africa, as well as in America.  The author’s purpose, therefore, determines which details of the story are weighted more heavily.  These details often have to deal with location, as some stories detail the issues in the refugee’s homeland, while others detail the refugee’s resettlement in a new country.

            While specific details of location vary for each story, location as a theme is an integral piece of each story, especially as it relates to identity. Location in general plays a major role in every refugee story, as each refugee has to deal with forced relocation away from his or her homeland.  However, this forced relocation has an effect more profound than simply where the refugee resides.  In the article “Rhetorics of Displacement: Constructing Identities in Forced Relocations”, Katrina M. Powell discusses how forced relocation affects a persons’ identity. She explains how forced relocation causes refugees to face unique struggles that form their identities during their plights. This kind of relocation results in a “shattering of identity” during which “the paths of displacement are violent journeys” for the refugees who have no choice but to relocate (301).  So much of one’s identity is tied to location, including family, food, friendships, employment, cultural practices, and history. When refugees are forced to leave all of these things behind, they don’t just leave behind physical objects.  They also leaves behind pieces of their selves, things that helped them determine who they were and where they fit into the world. After leaving this all behind, refugees must find a way to redefine themselves in terms of their new homeland and culture. They must build a new ‘self’.

            In his novel Of Beetles and Angels, Mawi Asgedom explains what this identity shift is like for refugees.  He explains how “those who can find work often toil at menial jobs.  Those who cannot, stay home.  For both, life is a far cry from the glory and self-worth they knew back in their homeland” (96).  The refugees must learn what it is like to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy, even if they had held prosperous and respected jobs in their homelands.  The men, like Mawi’s father, who had been highly regarded in their villages must now realize that their identities have shifted.  The refugees are no longer important, upstanding members of their African village, but rather poor working immigrant fathers in a foreign land in which they receive little to no respect for their hard work. This enormous identity shift is a result of the simple act of moving locations.

            What is the What explores these identity issues as well.  Eggers and Deng describe how Deng struggled internally with his identity. While looking back on his life, Deng laments, “I pretend that I know who I am but I simply don’t.  I’m not American and it seems difficult now to call myself Sudanese” (Eggers 505).  Deng also explores the issue of his external identity, which is illustrated when the 10-year-old boy, Michael, is holding Deng hostage.  Deng relates a particular incident in which Michael tries to silence him by dropping a phonebook on his head. This action makes Deng realize, “this boy thinks I am not of his species, that I am some other type of creature, one that can be crushed under the weight of a phone book” (Eggers 50).  Not only does Deng have to struggle with his identity on an internal level, but he also struggles with his identity in everyday life.  He is not seen as human, or recognized as somebody with worth and value to contribute to the world.  Instead, he is seen as an insignificant bug or varmint that might, in fact, be crushed under a phone book.  Deng must search to find who he is on the inside, as well as search for who he is in relation to the people in his new country.  All that he was in his home country as a child has been completely shattered both internally and externally, and he must find a way to rebuild his identity from those broken pieces.

            Location and identity are essential to a refugees ’story.  Therefore, it is imperative that the storyteller accurately portrays the locations and the identities associated with those locations in the story.   Refugee stories and immigrant narratives have been generalized in ways that prevent refugee storytelling from reaching its full potential.   This expected immigrant narrative genre includes elements such as “the ethnic hero, the journey of acculturation, and the trials that the hero must endure—[which] all contribute to shaping misconceptions about the immigrant experience” (Hron 44).  One way in which misconceptions can form is when storytellers use typical strategies and tropes to tell the refugee stories.  Although these methods might be widely used, some can be harmful to the story.  One such example occurs when a storyteller presents the refugees’ homelands as barbaric or primitive lands of savagery. Amal Hassan Fadlalla studied depictions of the Sudanese Lost Boys in her article “Borders of (In) humanity: Sudanese Refugees and the Mediation of Suffering and Subaltern Visibilities”, in which she notes that “captured images of the Lost Boys’ departures and resettlements were not free from hegemonic understanding of Africa as a ‘bushland’”(106).  When authors use these kinds of images and descriptions, they give the reader false ideas about what the refugees’ homelands are truly like.  Those reading the stories will miss out on important elements and understandings. Although the homelands of the refugees may have been third world countries, using these common images of a primitive and barbaric land creates a false image in the readers’ mind about what living in that country was truly like.  The truth may be that, although their homes didn’t reflect American models of modernity, they were still lively, vibrant, and happy places. 

            Refugee stories that choose not to follow these typical depictions of Africa and other refugee homelands provide a much richer and more honest portrayal of refugee life.  In “Humanitarian Narrative and Posthumanist Critique: Dave Eggers’s What is the What” Michelle Peek explores how What is the What “exhibits self-awareness about the various genres it draws from and transcends, openly rehearsing their generic complexities: the humanitarian narrative” (118) The novel defies the typical depictions of Africa and even goes so far as to insinuate that life in Africa may have been better for Deng than life in America.  After being robbed and beaten, Deng thought, “I want to be in Kakuma, where I lived in a hut of plastic and sandbags and owned one pair of pants.  I am not sure there was evil of this kind in the Kakuma refugee camp, and I want to return” (Eggers 4).  Rather than contrasting Africa’s primitiveness with America’s modernity, Deng and Eggers contrast violent crime in America with the difficult but friendly life in the Kakuma refugee camp.  This choice contradicts the typical representations of Africa, but in doing so presents a more honest depiction of a refugee’s struggles and feelings.  Similarly but less drastically, Mawi Asgedom chooses to forgo the typical illustrations of Africa as he explains how, “My father knew how to dance with every muscle of his body… Conversations stopped, Cups were lowered.  Heads turned.  Then the villagers jumped from their seats and plastered him with money” (9).  Rather than describing Africans as primitive and barbaric people, he shows how his village was lively and full of joy and music and dancing.  Through these illustrations, the reader begins to understand Africa as a whole— although it may have a dark side, there is still joy and liveliness.

            Similarly, in the documentary God Grew Tired of Us, the filmmakers chose to include interviews in which the Lost Boys lamented the fact that they were going to the United States.  Although the boys knew they had great opportunities awaiting them in the US, they also recognized that they were leaving behind great friendships and years of history. Their departure was not all joy, but there was sadness.  This illustrated that Africa was not simply a place of persecution and savagery but it was also a place of strong friendships and love.  Additionally, the Huffington Post photo series entitled “Refugees from Syria, Sudan Pose With Their Most Prized Possessions” depicts many refugees with the items that they hold most dear.  This article does more than simply show the reader what items refugees possess.  It also serves to show the reader that the refugees are human.  Just like Americans, they have items that hold strong personal meaning in their lives.  The refugees are human.  They are not barbaric or savage as their homelands are often depicted.  This article chooses to forgo these hegemonic understandings and allows the reader to understand that we are much more similar to refugees than we might originally believe.

            When a storyteller chooses to honestly depict the refugee’s homeland, he or she gives the reader a more meaningful representation of the refugee life.  When a reader understands fully where the refugee came from and the struggles and successes that refugee experienced along the journey of relocation— whether those successes are greater in Africa or America— the reader suddenly has great power.  Not only does the reader have the power of knowledge— true, meaningful, and deep knowledge— but the reader also has the tools necessary to create meaningful change both for the refugee’s homeland and for those refugees living in America today.

Works Cited

Asgedom, Mawi.  Of Beetles and Angels. New York: Little, Brown and Company. 2001. Print

Eggers, Dave.  What is the What. New York: Vintage Books. 2006. Print

God Grew Tired of Us. Dir. Christopher Dillon Quinn. National Geographic Films. 2006. Film.

Grenoble, Ryan.  “Refugees from Syria, Sudan, Pose With Their Most Prized Possessions In Brian Sokol Project.” TheHuffingtonPost.com. The Huffington Post. 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 2 May 2013.

Hron, Madelaine. Translating Pain Immigrant Suffering in Literature and Culture. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Inc. PDF.

Peek, Michelle.  “Humanitarian Narrative and Posthumanist Critique: Dave Eggers’s What is the What”.  Biography. 35.1. (2012): 115-136. Web. 3 May 2013.

Powell, Katrina M. “Rhetorics of Displacement: Constructing Identities in Forced Relocations”. College English. 74:4. (2012): 299-317. Web. 2 May 2013.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.  The UN Refugee Agency.  Protecting Refugees & The Role of the UNHCR. 2012. Web.