τΗΧΟΣ

-2020-    -2021-    -2022- -2023-

 The "Wall of Voices" or "τΗχος" was created with an intention to offer young adults a space for reflection on social issues in the European and local society. Here you will discover various essays, galleries, videos and content projects created by our volunteers. 

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Jules Lanoir, European Solidarity Corps volunteer, introduce us a collection of poems related to the topic of migration. Each poem has a key word in which he got inspired and at the same time is the title of each creation.

Marta Pianta and Gaia Bendinelli, European Solidarity Corps volunteers, present us a series of posts related to Refugees with Disabilities.

In occasion of the International Day of Disabilities that occurs on the 3rd of December, we would like to dedicate a few words and images to the invisibles among the invisibles.

We all know what people on the move have to undertake while seeking a dignified, safe life.

Detentions, freezing nights in the woods, dark water, barbed wire, pushbacks, violence, demeaning condition only to mention the physical side. Endless wait for basic rights, disdain, isolation. Among them there are pregnant women, children, people with disabilities for whom the risk of being discriminated is even higher (source: edf).

Beware of that, we want to give space to some people, whose life has been touched by disability of any sort -physical or intellectual-, and their story during and after their move.

Can you leave?

“Malika, 10, a tiny boy, and his sister Zenebu, 14, who were born paralyzed by polio, sit inside the Catholic Mission in Bossemptele, 300 km north of Bangui. Their parents flied for Cameron after attacks, leaving them at the Catholic Mission, and promised to return, but have not been back.”

Photo: Humanrightswatch (Marcus Bleasdale)

Can you leave? or “simply” walk for days?

1. Abdul Saboor, Calais jungle. (ig: abdul_saboor079 12.08.21)

2. Abdul Saboor, (ig:abdul_saboor079 15.10.21)

And get over the barbed wire?

3. Valerio Nicolosi

Can you live under these conditions? 

Besides, when those with disabilities did reach sites for displaced people, they faced further/additional difficulties accessing sanitation, food, and medical assistance. 

Even the muddy, uneven soil of a camp turns into a barrier.

Lagkadika Camqu Hama (fb)

The uneven terrain is specked with holes and open drains. People with physical disabilities are often unable to access food distribution sites, medical clinics and have no choice but crawl on their hands and knees.

Mobile Refugee Support, Dunkirk refugee camp, France.

“UN estimates suggest that in 2019, nearly 132 million people in 42 countries around the world will need humanitarian assistance resulting from conflict or disaster. Nearly 69 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced by violence and conflict, the highest number since World War II.” (source: WHO)

• Migrants and refugees (estimated 272 million in 2019) can be exposed to various stress factors which affect their mental health and well-being before and during their migration journey and during their settlement and integration.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) supports the coordination of the mental health response in an emergency situation. It collaborates with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to meet the mental health needs of migrants and refugees.
• The prevalence of common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) tends to be higher among migrants exposed to adversity and refugees than among host populations. One person in five is living with some form of mental disorder, from mild depression or anxiety to psychosis. Almost 1 in 10 is living with a moderate or severe mental disorder)
• Many migrants and refugees lack access to mental health services or experience barriers in accessing these. They also face disruptions in continuity of care. Migrants and refugees contribute positively to society, but they cannot reach their full potential unless they are in good physical and mental health.
• The topic of mental health is only a decade old: Indeed, the mental health program guidelines were initially developed in 2009.
• These disorders often impair their ability to function – so access to care isn’t just about improving mental health, it can be a matter of survival.

The Refugee Paralympic Team, composed of 6 athletes, 5 men and 1 woman, competed for the first time in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympics.

Its athletes competes in the following disciplines: swimming, athletics, taekwondo and paracanoeing.

The Team doesn't represent a single country, but rather the refugees all around the world. Meet Alia Issa: “I would like to tell people that if they have a disabled child like me, don't keep it hidden at home. Encourage him to play sports." Alia Issa is the first woman taking part in the Refugee Paralympic Team, and, so far, the only one. 

Aged 20 years old, she's the daughter of Syrian refugees. Her life changed when, at a young age, she developed physical and intellectual disabilities, after contracting smallpox. 

During High-School she was scouted by her Physical Education teacher, and she started competing in the club throw. She started collecting success after success, first nationally in the Panhellenic Championship, and then internationally in the World Grand Prix of athletes with disabilities in Switzerland and in the Pan-European Championship in Poland.

In parallel with her athletic path, Alia dreams of being a doctor. She also aspires to gain Greek citizenship and to compete for Greece. CEMBER

”Hardship of Life” won the Siena International Photo Awards (SIPA).

“War, generally, is a worldwide issue, which is one of the main reasons why I started taking photos. But this particular family affected me greatly because of the dire situation they were in,” Aslan said during an interview. 

In the last 10 years we have seen many pictures of desperate, dehumanising conditions, in some cases even more brutal than in this photo. However, I think that what makes this picture an award-winner is the smiles of a father and a son.

I find the comment of one of the jurors on the SIPA panel very accurate. “But, in its drama, it is also a moment of joy and happiness for a father and his son who survived the horror and events that we cannot even remotely imagine. […] Despite this, and even though they are still in a really difficult situation, they have the strength to smile. In one shot there is all the tragedy of a conflict, but also the happiness of having survived it.”

Muzir and Zeinab and the little Mustapha used to live in north-western Syria. They met Mehmet Aslan when they made it to Reyhanli, a city on the Turkish border. Munzir lost his leg in a bomb explosion while walking through the market in Idlib. During the civil war, his wife Zeinab, who was pregnant at that time, inhaled nerve gas. The medication she took left Mustapha without no limbs at all.

They are still facing difficulties, as in Turkey prosthesis treatment are currently unavailable in Turkey for Mustafa. Thanks to this photo, a fundraising campaign is open on gofundme. They reached more than 70.000 €.

But there is more, the family will arrive in Italy and Mustapha and Muzir will soon to be treated at the Vigorso Prosthesis Center in Budrio, Bologna. 

Στις ζωές όλων των ανθρώπων υπάρχει ένα -παρόν-, αλλά μερικές φορές η αβεβαιότητα κάποιων ιστοριών μας κάνει να μην ξέρουμε πώς να διακρίνουμε ξεκάθαρα το παρελθόν από το μέλλον. Οι αντιξοότητες που ζούμε ή ακόμη και οι αρνητικές εμπειρίες τις οποίες βιώνουμε και που δεν μας αξίζουν, κάνουν το παρόν μας ασταθές και δεν ξέρουμε πάντα πώς να διατηρήσουμε τη γαλήνη μέσα μας. Είναι εκείνη η στιγμή που δεν ξέρουμε πώς να βάλουμε ένα όριο σε αυτό που συνέβη, στο παρελθόν. Αυτή η δυσκολία  είναι που καθηλώνει τα πόδια μας στο έδαφος του παρόντος, και κατά συνέπεια εμποδίζει την αναζήτηση των επόμενων βημάτων μας προς το μέλλον. Υπάρχουν άνθρωποι που επηρεάζονται από αυτό το φαινόμενο: η αναμονή, η απώλεια της έννοιας του χρόνου, η αίσθηση ότι τα βήματά τους δεν διαφέρουν από αυτά που έχουν ήδη κάνει και ότι έχουν ήδη βιώσει αυτά που μένει να ζήσουν στο μέλλον.

Το να φύγεις από μια χώρα εξαιτίας μιας προφανής πραγματικότητας, όπως η επιβίωση και η αναζήτηση της ευημερίας και της ευτυχίας, δεν είναι επιλογή αλλά αναγκαιότητα. Σε όλους μας αξίζει ένα αντάξιο μέλλον όπου θα μπορούμε να απολαύσουμε αυτό που λέγεται ζωή.

Αν αναζητήσουμε την ακριβής σημασία της λέξης «ζω» θα βρούμε δύο έννοιες. Η μία είναι να έχεις ζωή και η άλλη να προσπαθείς να μείνεις ζωντανός. Φυσικά, καταλαβαίνουμε τη πρώτη, αλλά τι συμβαίνει με τη δεύτερη; Το προνόμιο να είμαστε λευκοί και Ευρωπαίοι δεν μας επιτρέπει να φοβόμαστε τη λέξη ζωή, γιατί το μέλλον μας θεωρείται ενιαίο. Δεν χρειάζεται να ανησυχούμε για την επιβίωση γιατί απλώς είμαστε ζωντανοί. Η ζωή μας είναι λιγότερο βιωμένη από τη δική τους γιατί εμείς απλά την έχουμε, ενώ αυτοί την διεκδικούν. Έρχονται και το αξίζουν, έχουν παρελθόν, παρόν και φτιάχνουν το (δικό τους) μέλλον. Εμείς απλά -έχουμε μια ζωή- άνετη. Δεν σημαίνει ότι υπάρχουν πιο σημαντικές ζωές από άλλες, αλλά μόνο ότι το να είμαστε άνετοι μας κάνει να νιώθουμε λιγότερο ζωντανοί, λιγότερο ευγνώμονες, ότι απλώς αναπνέουμε και προχωράμε μπροστά χωρίς να χρειάζεται προσέχουμε το βήμα μας. Αντίθετα, αυτοί οι άνθρωποι αισθάνονται ότι κάθε τους βήμα στο δρόμο τους οδηγεί προς τους στόχους τους, εκτιμώντας/βραβεύοντας έτσι την κάθε μικρή στιγμή ή ενέργεια που έρχεται. Κατά τη διάρκεια του ταξιδιού τους μπορεί να σκοντάψουν και είναι στο χέρι μας να επιλέξουμε αν θα τους συνοδεύσουμε για να διευκολύνουμε τον δρόμο τους.

Σε έναν κόσμο με σύνορα, υπάρχουν κοινωνίες με εμπόδια, όπως ο κοινωνικός αποκλεισμός.

Αλλά...

Αν ξέρουμε ότι κατασχέσαμε αυτό το έδαφος ως σπίτι, όντας μόνο τη γη.

Αν ξέρουμε ότι έχουμε οριοθετημένα περιθώρια προνομίων στον πλανήτη.

Αν αναγνωρίσουμε τον ρατσισμό μας και την άρνηση να αναγνωρίσουμε τον πλούτο των πολιτισμών τους.

Αν απλά λέμε όχι στο να συνεχίσουν τη ζωή τους, να χτίσουν το μέλλον τους.

Γιατί να μην είμαστε καλοί οικοδεσπότες;

Εγώ λέω ναι. Καλώς ήρθατε πρόσφυγες.

Παρουσιάζουμε το podcast με τίλτο OMID (=Ελπίδα), το οποίο θα σας δώσει μια εικόνα μέσα από τα μικρόφωνα, σχετικά με την κατάσταση των προσφύγων και των οργανισμών στην πόλη των Ιωαννίνων.

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In the lives of all people there is a -present-, but sometimes the uncertainty of some stories makes us not know how to differentiate clearly between the past and the future. Living adversities or undeserved experiences makes our present unstable, and we do not always know how to have a serenity. It is in that moment when we do not know how to set a margin to what happened, to the past. This hardship does not allow us to see our feet on the ground of the present, and consequently to look for our steps towards the future. There are people affected by this phenomenon: the waiting, the loss of the notion of time, the feeling that their steps don’t differ from what they have already experienced and what remains to be lived.

Leaving a country for an obvious reality, such as survival and the search for well-being and happiness, is not a choice but a necessity. It is deserving a worthy future where you can enjoy what life is.

If we look for the exact definition of –live- we can find two concepts, to have life and, to be and last alive. Of course, we do understand the first one, but what about the second? The privilege of being a white European does not allow us to be afraid of the word life, because our future is uniform. We do not have to worry about surviving because we are just alive. Our life is less lived than theirs because we just have it, they get it. They come and they deserve it, they have a past, a present, and they make their (own) future. We simply - have a life -, effortlessly. It is not to say that there are more important lives than others, but only that being comfortable makes us feel less alive, less appreciative, that we simply breathe and walk forward without noticing our step. On the contrary, they feel the footsteps on the way to their goals, valuing/prizing every little moment or action that comes along. During this journey they may stumble, and it is up to us to choose whether to accompany them to make their way easier.

In a world with borders, there are societies with barriers, such as social exclusion

But...

If we know that we have appropriated this ground as a house, being only land,

If we know that we have delimited fringes of privilege to the planet.

If we recognise our racism and refuse to acknowledge the richness of their cultures,

If we are simply saying no to continue their life, to build their future,

Why not being good hosts?

I say yes. Welcome refugees.

We present the OMID podcast program, which will give visibility and manifest through microphones to the situation of refugees and associations in the city of Ioannina. Today, we begin with the first podcast, -present- that will introduce the trilogy -present-past-future. We hope you like it. Hit play.

Η Gina Batlle Oliva από την Ισπανία είναι εθελόντρια του Ευρωπαϊκού Σώματος Αλληλεγγύης. Αυτό το διάστημα που βρίσκεται στην πόλη μας, δημιούργησε μια φωτογραφική έκθεση με τίτλο "Limbo" και θα ήθελε να την μοιραστεί μαζί μας. Παράλληλα κατά τη διάρκεια της παραμονής της στον οργανισμού του Κέντρου Νέων Ηπείρου ασχολήθηκε και με την διοργάνωση δραστηριοτήτων μη τυπικής εκπαίδευσης σε μία δομή φιλοξενίας ασυνόδευτων ανηλίκων.

Σκέφτηκε ότι με τη συμμετοχή των ασυνόδευτων ανηλίκων στο φωτογραφικό της έργο, θα ήταν μια θετική πρωτοβουλία ώστε να κάνει τους έφηβους να νιώσουν πρωταγωνιστές και δημιουργοί ενός όμορφου τελικού αποτελέσματος.

Στη σύγχρονη προστασία των προσφύγων, η λέξη αναμονή αποτελεί το νούμερο ένα κανόνα. Πολλοί πρόσφυγες αντιμετωπίζουν παρατεταμένες χρονικές περιόδους αναμονής έκδοσης των εγγράφων τους, είτε σε δομές φιλοξενίας είτε ζώντας μέσα σε ένα αστικό περιβάλλον ανάμεσα σε πολίτες. Αυτή η πρακτική της αναμονής των προσφύγων αποτελεί όφελος για τα κράτη.

Gina Batlle Oliva, our ESC volunteer from Spain, created a photographic exhibition titled "Limbo". During her stay in the Youth Center of Epirus she was a facilitator of non-formal education activities in a facility for unaccompanied minors.

She thought that by involving them in her photographic project it will be a positive initiative to make the teenagers feel the protagonist and creators of a final result.

Temporariness has become the norm in contemporary refugee protection. Many refugees face extended periods of time waiting for permanent status, either in camps or living among citizens in their state of asylum. This practice of keeping refugees waiting constitutes a benefit to states.

Our ESC italian volunteer, Gaia Bendinelli, introduce us the current situation of women in Afghanistan, whose conditions drastically changed after the Taliban's takeover last August.

𝐁𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐀𝐅𝐆𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄 

Despite the promises made to the international community, the Taliban are taking Afghanistan back to the theocratic dictatorship that they promoted in the 90’s. 

Due to recent bans, now in Afghanistan: 

• 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐒: only their male counterpart will take part to the lessons from now on. 

• 𝐓𝐇𝐄 “𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍’𝐒 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒” 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐑 “𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄”, the very same Ministry that 20 years ago created the “morality police”, found responsible of many human rights’ violations.

• 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 except for public health workers, meaning that female government employees are now denied going back to work to “protect their own safety”. 

• 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒: women can leave their homes only if accompanied by a male guardian; the use of hijab is compulsory. 

• 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑-𝐒𝐄𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐘. To attend lessons, women must wear an abaya complemented with a niqab, fully-covering their bodies. 

•  𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐍: due to supposedly over-revealing outfits.

It’s clear that the goal of the Taliban is to deprive women of their rights to work and education, erasing their presence from public life. These recent developments represent the loss of 20 years of achievements of Afghani women’s rights. 

However, today the Taliban are finding themselves fighting a strenuous resistance for civil freedom carried on by the new generation of Afghani women, educated and conscious that a different Afghanistan is possible. 

Photo credits

Afghan women's rights defenders and civil activists protest to call on the Taliban for the preservation of their achievements and education, in front of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan September 3, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

Veiled students hold Taliban flags as they listen a speaker before a pro-Taliban rally at the Shaheed Rabbani Education University in Kabul on September 11

/ AFP via Getty Images

 ENGLISH

Farsi, Dari, Kurdish, Arabic, Pashtu, Urdu, Mandinka, Somali, Turkish, Greek.

In the playroom you can hear music, in the football field shouts in many different -for us- unknown words. All these languages  intertwine in sometimes complicate, but yet sometimes surprisingly natural conversations. And then there is us, who "add" a lot of English into this pot. The taste of this language soup is never the same, sometimes unexpected, and definitely not always delicious. That’s because languages are not only made of words but of a whole world of subtle meanings, customs, culture, way of thinking, and memories.

Chatting about the day or explaining the rule of a new game may take a little bit longer than expected. That is because we have to change the ratio of the ingredients: a "pinch" of Urdu now, a little bit of Farsi later, or maybe a "splash" of Arabic. There is no perfect recipe, and certainly no perfect cook. But without them we wouldn’t be able to add any of these spices.

Today is the International Translation Day. The United Nations celebrates it “to pay tribute to the work of language professionals, which plays an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security.”  For the UN translation is “indispensable to preserving clarity, a positive climate and productiveness in international public discourse and interpersonal communication”. They picked 30th September as it is the feast of St. Jerome, biblical translator and patron saint of translators. His native language was one of the Illyrian dialects (a linguistic group from today’s south-eastern Europe), he learnt Latin in school and picked up Hebrew and Greek from his studies and travels.

No one of us is a professional nor deals with world peace or diplomacy. But in our little world we, volunteers and boys, try our best - with our knowledge and sometimes gesture-  and often succeed in creating a positive, inclusive environment.

“By promoting tolerance, multilingualism ensures effective and increased participation of all […], as well as greater effectiveness, better performance and improved transparency”, continues the UN website. Inclusion, transparency and improvement are values that apply to every international context, may it be an Intergovernmental conference or a football match with teenagers.

So, I believe this international day is for us all too, and first and foremost for the boys who speak 2,3, 4 languages, which - Like Saint Jerome- they picked up in their journey. They are our bridges to those who are less fluent in English.

There are no professional interpreters here, however, every day is the celebration of translation day. We try to keep our melting-pot on low heat so we, all together, can adjust the taste, making sure that the soup keeps boiling.

Author

Marta Pianta

Bibliography

https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-translation-day

ITALIAN

Farsi, dari, curdo, arabo, pashtu, urdu, mandinka, somalo, turco, greco. 

Nel salone si sente musica, nel campo da calcio urla in tante lingue diverse (per noi) incompressibili. Tutte queste lingue si mescolano in conversazioni a volte complicate, altre volte sorprendentemente naturali. E poi ci siamo noi, che "aggiungiamo" molto inglese in questo calderone. Il gusto di questa zuppa di lingue cambia sempre. A volte nemmeno te lo aspetti, e di certo non è sempre squisito. Questo accade perché le lingue non sono fatte solo di parole ma costruite attorno  ad un vasto mondo di sfumature di significato, abitudini, culture, modi di pensare e ricordi.

Fare due chiacchere sulla giornata o spiegare le regole di un gioco potrebbe richiedere un po' più del previsto perché dobbiamo cambiare la proporzione degli ingredienti: un "pizzico" di urdu adesso, un pochino di farsi dopo, oppure un goccio di arabo. La ricetta perfetta non esiste, tantomeno il cuoco perfetto; ma senza i ragazzi non saremmo in grado di aggiungere nessuna di queste spezie.

Oggi è la giornata internazionale della traduzione. Le Nazioni Unite l'hanno istituita per "rendere omaggio al lavoro dei professionisti nel campo delle lingue, il quale ha un ruolo importante nel ravvicinare le nazioni, facilitare il dialogo, la comprensione e la cooperazione, contribuire allo sviluppo e rafforzare la pace e la sicurezza mondiale".  Per l'ONU la traduzione è "indispensabile per preservare la chiarezza, un clima positivo e la produttività nel discorso pubblico internazionale e nella comunicazione interpersonale". Hanno scelto il 30 settembre perché è la festa di San Girolamo, traduttore biblico e patrono dei traduttori. La sua lingua madre era uno dei dialetti illirici (un gruppo linguistico dell'odierna Europa sud-orientale), studiò il latino a scuola e imparò l'ebraico e il greco dai suoi studi e viaggi.

Nessuno di noi è un professionista né tratta di pace nel mondo o di diplomazia. Ma nel nostro piccolo mondo noi, volontari e ragazzi, facciamo del nostro meglio - con le nostre conoscenze e a volte con i gesti - e spesso riusciamo a creare un ambiente positivo e inclusivo.

 "Promuovendo la tolleranza, il multilinguismo assicura un'effettiva e maggiore partecipazione di tutti [...], così come una maggiore efficacia, migliori prestazioni e una migliore trasparenza", continua il sito delle Nazioni Unite. Inclusione, trasparenza e impegno verso il miglioramento sono valori che trovano applicazione concreta in ogni contesto internazionale, sia esso una conferenza intergovernativa o una partita di calcio tra adolescenti.

Quindi, credo che questa giornata internazionale sia anche per tutti noi, e prima di tutto per i ragazzi che parlano 2, 3, 4 lingue, che - come San Girolamo- hanno imparato durante il loro cammino fino a qui. Sono i nostri ponti verso coloro che hanno meno dimestichezza con l'inglese.

Qui non ci sono interpreti professionisti, ma ogni giorno si celebra la giornata della traduzione. Cerchiamo di tenere il nostro melting pot a fuoco basso, per poter, tutti insieme, aggiustare il gusto a nostro piacimento, facendo in modo che la zuppa non smetta mai di gorgogliare.

Translator

Marta Pianta

PERSIAN

فارسی ، دری ، کردی ، عربی ، پشتو ، اردو ، مندیکا ، سومالیایی ، ترکی ، یونانی.

در اتاق بازی می توانید موسیقی بشنوید ، در زمین فوتبال با کلمات ناشناخته مختلف - برای ما - فریاد می زند. همه این زبانها در مکالمات گاه دشوار ، اما در عین حال به طرز شگفت آوری طبیعی در هم تنیده می شوند. و سپس ما هستیم ، که مقدار زیادی انگلیسی را به این قابلمه "اضافه" می کنیم. طعم این سوپ زبانی هرگز یکسان نیست ، گاهی اوقات غیر منتظره است و قطعاً همیشه خوشمزه نیست. دلیل این امر این است که زبانها نه تنها از کلمات بلکه از کل جهان با معنی ظریف ، آداب و رسوم ، فرهنگ ، طرز تفکر و خاطرات ساخته شده اند۰

صحبت در مورد روز یا توضیح قانون یک بازی جدید ممکن است کمی بیشتر از آنچه انتظار می رود طول بکشد. به این دلیل است که ما باید نسبت مواد تشکیل دهنده را تغییر دهیم: کمی فارسی در حال حاضر ، "کمی" اردو بعداً ، یا شاید کمی زبان عربی. هیچ دستورالعمل کاملی وجود ندارد ، و قطعاً هیچ آشپز کاملی  وجود ندارد. اما بدون آنها ما نمی توانیم هیچ یک از این ادویه ها را اضافه کنیم۰

امروز روز جهانی ترجمه است. سازمان ملل متحد "ادای احترام به کار متخصصان زبان ، که نقش مهمی در گردهم آوردن ملت ها ، تسهیل گفتگو ، تفاهم و همکاری ، کمک به توسعه و تقویت صلح و امنیت جهانی دارد" ، جشن می گیرد. ترجمه سازمان ملل متحد "برای حفظ وضوح ، جو مثبت و بهره وری در گفتمان عمومی بین المللی و ارتباطات بین فردی ضروری است". آنها ۳۰ سپتامبر را به عنوان جشن سنت جروم ، مترجم کتاب مقدس و قدیس حامی مترجمان انتخاب کردند. زبان مادری وی یکی از گویش های ایلی (گروهی زبانی از جنوب شرقی اروپای امروزی) بود ، سپس در مدرسه لاتین را آموخت و از مطالعات و سفرهای خود زبان عبری و یونانی را به دست آورد۰

هیچ یک از ما حرفه ای نیستیم  و با صلح یا دیپلماسی جهانی سروکار ندارد. اما در دنیای کوچک ما ، ما داوطلبان و پسران ، تمام تلاش خود را می کنیم - با دانش و گاهی حرکات خود - و اغلب در ایجاد یک محیط مثبت و فراگیر موفق می شویم.

و تاثیرگذاری سایت سازمان ملل ادامه می دهد: "با ترویج مدارا ، مشارکت افزایش همه [...]  همچنین اثربخشی بیشتر ، عملکرد بهتر و شفافیت بیشتر" مشارکت ، شفافیت و بهبود ارزشهایی هستند که در هر زمینه بین المللی اعمال می شوند ، خواه یک کنفرانس بین دولتی یا یک مسابقه فوتبال با نوجوانان باشد۰

بنابراین ، من معتقدم که این روز بین المللی برای همه ما نیز مهم است ، و قبل از هر چیز برای پسرانی که به ۲٫۳٫۴زبان صحبت می کنند - مانند جروم- آنها در سفر خود حرکت کردند. آنها پل ارتباطی ما برای کسانی هستند که به زبان انگلیسی تسلط کمتری دارند

در اینجا هیچ مترجم حرفه ای وجود ندارد ، با این حال ، هر روز جشن روز ترجمه است. ما سعی می کنیم دیگ ذوب را روی حرارت کم نگه داریم تا ما (همه با هم) بتوانیم طعم را مطابق میل خود تنظیم کنیم و مطمئن شویم که سوپ همچنان به جوش می آید۰

Translator

Amir Saeed Khavari 

GREEK

Περσικά, Ντάρι, Κουρδικά, Αραβικά, Παστού, Ουρντού, Μανίνκα, Σομαλικά, Τουρκικά, Ελληνικά.

Στον χώρο δραστηριοτήτων μπορείς να ακούσεις μουσική, στο γήπεδο ποδοσφαίρου φωνές και λέξεις σε γλώσσες άγνωστες για εμάς. Όλες αυτές οι γλώσσες πλέκονται σε συνομιλίες που άλλοτε είναι δύσκολο να καταλάβεις και άλλοτε εκπληκτικά κατανοητές. Σε αυτή τη σκηνή εμφανιζόμαστε και εμείς, οι εθελοντές, προσθέτοντας τη γλώσσα των αγγλικών στο δοχείο. Η γεύση αυτού του μίγματος διαφόρων γλωσσών δεν είναι ποτέ η ίδια, μερικές φορές είναι απροσδόκητη και σαφώς όχι πάντα νόστιμη. Αυτό συμβαίνει γιατί οι γλώσσες δεν αποτελούνται μόνο από λέξεις, αλλά από λεπτές έννοιες, έθιμα, τρόπους σκέψης και μνήμες.

Το να μιλήσουμε για το πώς ήταν η μέρα μας ή να εξηγήσουμε τον κανόνα ενός νέου παιχνιδιού μπορεί να διαρκέσει περισσότερο από το αναμενόμενο. Αυτός είναι ο λόγος για τον οποίο πρέπει να αλλάξουμε τις αναλογίες των συστατικών στη σούπα μας: λίγο Περσικά, μια πρέζα Ουρντού ή ακόμη και μια κουταλιά της σούπας Αραβικών. Δεν υπάρχει τέλειο μείγμα και σαφώς δεν υπάρχει τέλειος μάγειρας. Αλλά χωρίς όλα αυτά δεν θα μπορούσαμε να προσθέσουμε κανένα από αυτά τα μπαχαρικά.

Σήμερα είναι η Διεθνής Ημέρα Μετάφρασης. Τα Ηνωμένα Έθνη γιορτάζουν αυτή τη μέρα για να «για να αποτίσουν φόρο τιμής στο έργο των επαγγελματιών της γλώσσας, το οποίο παίζει ένα σημαντικό ρόλο στην προσέγγιση των εθνών, στη διευκόλυνση του διαλόγου, στη κατανόηση και συνεργασία, συμβάλλοντας στην ανάπτυξη και στην ενίσχυση της παγκόσμιας ειρήνης και ασφάλειας». Για τον ΟΗΕ, η μετάφραση είναι «απαραίτητη για τη διατήρηση της σαφήνειας, του θετικού κλίματος και της παραγωγικότητας στον διεθνή δημόσιο λόγο και τη διαπροσωπική επικοινωνία». Επέλεξαν την 30η Σεπτεμβρίου καθώς είναι η γιορτή του Αγίου Ιερώνυμου, βιβλικού μεταφραστή και προστάτη των μεταφραστών. Η μητρική του γλώσσα ήταν μία από τις ιλλυρικές διαλέκτους (μια γλωσσική ομάδα από τη σημερινή νοτιοανατολική Ευρώπη), αργότερα έμαθε Λατινικά στο σχολείο, Εβραϊκά και Ελληνικά κατά τη διάρκεια των σπουδών του και των πολυάριθμων ταξιδιών του.

Κανείς από εμάς δεν είναι επαγγελματίας ή ασχολείται με την παγκόσμια ειρήνη ή διπλωματία. Αλλά στον μικρό μας κόσμο, εμείς, οι εθελοντές και οι ωφελούμενοι, κάνουμε ό, τι καλύτερο μπορούμε, με τις γνώσεις μας και μερικές φορές με τη γλώσσα του σώματος, και συχνά καταφέρνουμε να δημιουργήσουμε ένα θετικό και χωρίς αποκλεισμούς περιβάλλον.

«Προωθώντας την ανεκτικότητα, η πολυγλωσσία εξασφαλίζει αποτελεσματική και αυξημένη συμμετοχή όλων […], καθώς και μεγαλύτερη αποτελεσματικότητα, καλύτερες επιδόσεις και βελτιωμένη διαφάνεια», συνεχίζει να αναφέρει ο ιστότοπος του ΟΗΕ. Η ένταξη, η διαφάνεια και η βελτίωση είναι αξίες που ισχύουν για κάθε διεθνές πλαίσιο, είτε πρόκειται για μια διακυβερνητική διάσκεψη είτε για έναν ποδοσφαιρικό αγώνα με εφήβους.

Έτσι, πιστεύω ότι αυτή η διεθνής ημέρα είναι για όλους εμάς, και πρωτίστως για τα αγόρια που μιλούν 2,3, 4 γλώσσες, τις οποίες - όπως και ο Άγιος Ιερώνυμος- επέλεξαν κατά τη διάρκεια του ταξιδιού τους. Είναι οι γέφυρές μας για εκείνους που δεν γνωρίζουν καλά Αγγλικά.

Δεν υπάρχουν επαγγελματίες διερμηνείς εδώ, ωστόσο, η ημέρα μετάφρασης γιορτάζεται κάθε μέρα. Προσπαθούμε να κρατήσουμε το τηγάνι σε χαμηλή φωτιά, ώστε να μπορούμε (όλοι μαζί) να προσαρμόσουμε τη γεύση κατά την επιθυμία μας, φροντίζοντας να βράζει η σούπα.

Translator

Marta Alonso Mamolar

SPANISH

Persa, darí, kurdo, árabe, pashto, urdú, mandinká, somalí, turco, griego.

En la sala puedes escuchar música, en el campo de fútbol gritos en idiomas con los que no estamos familiarizados. Todas estas lenguas se entrelazan en conversaciones a veces difíciles, pero a veces sorprendentemente naturales. En esta escena estamos nosotros, los voluntarios, quienes añadimos mucho inglés al cazo. El sabor de esta mezcla de idiomas nunca es el mismo, a veces inesperado, y claramente no siempre delicioso. Esto se debe a que las lenguas no están solo formadas por palabras, sino por significados sutiles, costumbres, formas de pensamiento, y recuerdos.

Hablar sobre cómo nos ha ido el día o explicar la regla de un nuevo juego puede que nos lleve más tiempo del esperado. Es por esto que tenemos que cambiar las proporciones de los ingredientes de nuestra sopa: un poco de Persa, una pellizca de Urdu, o igual un toque de Árabe. No hay una mezcla perfecta, y claramente no hay un cocinero perfecto. Pero sin todos ellos no podríamos añadir ninguna de estas especias.

Hoy es el Día Internacional de la Traducción. Las Naciones Unidas lo celebra para ¨rendir homenaje al trabajo de los profesionales del lenguaje, que juega un papel importante en unir a las naciones, facilitar el diálogo, el entendimiento y la cooperación, contribuir al desarrollo y fortalecer la paz y la seguridad mundiales.¨ Para la NU la traducción es “indispensable para preservar la claridad, un clima positivo y la productividad en el discurso público internacional y la comunicación interpersonal.¨

Eligieron el día 30 de septiembre como celebración ya que es San Jerónimo, traductor bíblico y santo patrón de los traductores. Su lengua materna era uno de los dialectos ilirios (un grupo lingüístico del sudeste de la actual Europa), más adelante aprendió latín en la escuela, y hebreo y griego durante sus estudios y numerosos viajes.

Ninguno de nosotros es un profesional ni se ocupa de la paz mundial o la diplomacia. Pero en nuestro pequeño mundo, nosotros, los voluntarios y los niños, hacemos nuestro mejor esfuerzo, con nuestro conocimiento y, a veces, con gestos, y a menudo logramos crear un entorno positivo e inclusivo.

“Al promover la tolerancia, el multilingüismo se asegura una participación mayor y efectiva de todos […], así como una mayor efectividad, un mejor desempeño y una mayor transparencia”, incluye la ONU en su página web. La inclusión, la transparencia y la mejora son valores que se aplican a todos los contextos internacionales, ya sea una conferencia intergubernamental o un partido de fútbol con jóvenes.

Es por esto que creo que este día internacional es también para todos nosotros, y sobre todo para los niños y niñas que hablan 2, 3, 4 lenguas, que, como San Jerónimo, aprendieron durante su travesía. Son nuestros puentes hacia aquellos que dominan menos el inglés.

Aquí no hay intérpretes profesionales, sin embargo, todos los días se celebra el día de la traducción. Tratamos de mantener el crisol a fuego lento para que, todos juntos, podamos ajustar el sabor a nuestro gusto, asegurándonos de que la sopa siga borboteando.

Translator

Marta Alonso Mamolar

CATALAN

Persa, dari, kurd, àrab, pashto, urdú, mandinka, somali, turc, grec.

A la sala de jocs es pot escoltar música, al camp de futbol crits en llengües que no ens són familiars. Tots aquests llenguatges s’entrellacen en converses a vegades complexes, però de vegades sorprenentment naturals.

I després hi som nosaltres, que"afegim" dosis d'anglès dins el cassó. Una sopa lingüística que mai no és la mateixa; sovint inesperada, i, definitivament, no sempre deliciosa. Això es deu al fet que les llengües no tant sols es compònen de paraules, sinó de tot un món de subtils significats, costums, cultures, maneres de pensar i records.

Xerrar sobre com ha anat el dia o explicar les normes d’un nou joc pot comportar tardar més estona de l’esperada. Això es deu al fet que s’ha d’ajustar la proporció dels ingredients: un xic de farsi, un pessic d’urdú o potser una mica d’àrab. No hi ha una recepta perfecta i, sens dubte, no existeix el cuiner perfecte. Però sense aquesta varietat no ens seria possible afegir-hi espècies.

Avui és el dia internacional de la traducció. Les Nacions Unides el celebren "per rendir homenatge a la tasca dels professionals de la llengua, que té un paper important en reunir les nacions, facilitar el diàleg, la comprensió i la cooperació, contribuir al desenvolupament i enfortir la pau i la seguretat mundial". Per a l'ONU, la traducció és "indispensable per preservar l'eloqüència, un clima positiu i la productivitat en el discurs públic internacional i la comunicació interpersonal". Van escollir com a data, el 30 de setembre, ja que és la festa de Sant Jeroni, traductor bíblic i patró dels traductors. La seva llengua materna era un dels dialectes il·liris (un grup lingüístic del sud-est europeu actual), més tard va aprendre llatí a l’escola i va adquir l’hebreu i el grec dels seus estudis i viatges.

Ningú de nosaltres és un professional ni tracta la pau mundial ni la diplomàcia. Però en el nostre petit món, els voluntaris i els nois, fem tot el possible (amb el nostre coneixement i, de vegades, amb gestos)aconseguim crear un entorn positiu i inclusiu.

 "Mitjançant la promoció de la tolerància, el multilingüisme garanteix una participació efectiva i augmentada de tots [...], així com una major efectivitat, un millor rendiment i una millor transparència", segueix la web de l'ONU. La inclusió, la transparència i la millora són valors que s’apliquen a tots els contextos internacionals, ja sigui una conferència intergovernamental o un partit de futbol amb adolescents.

Per tant, crec que aquest dia internacional també és per a tots nosaltres i, sobretot, per als nois que parlen 2,3 o 4 idiomes, que, com Saint Jt. Jerome, han anat recollir en les seves travesies. Són els nostres ponts per a aquells que dominen menys l'anglès.

Aquí no hi ha intèrprets professionals, però, cada dia experimentem la celebració del dia de la traducció. Intentem cuinar  a foc lent perquè tots (junts) puguem ajustar el gust segons el nostre desig, assegurant-nos que la sopa continuï bullint.

Translator

Gina Batlle i Oliva

Unaccompanied minors are a particularly vulnerable category of refugees, facing peculiar struggles and challenges. One of the latter is about obtaining the papers that certify their asylum-seekers' status. In this video, we retrace briefly the stages of this bureaucratic journey, which is intricate and, most-likely, time-consuming.

Introduction

As of today, human trafficking remains one of the greatest threats to human security in the 21st Century. Unfortunately, most cases related to human trafficking, especially when talking about migrants and refugees, remain undetected, contributing to the perpetuation of such criminal actions. 

This article sets out to shed some light on what human trafficking is and how refugees constitute to be one of its most vulnerable groups. Firstly, by exploring the clear link between globalisation as a facilitator of exploitation and human trafficking, subsequently looking into some general ideas concerning human trafficking, through some key concepts and available data. The second part of this article particularly focuses on trafficking in refugees by attempting to substantiate the reasons that lead to their susceptibility to exploitation and human trafficking.

Human Trafficking as an offshoot of globalization

The very phenomenon of globalisation is well known to have created great opportunities; however, its challenges should not be overlooked. In a world where everything seems to be hyper-connected, past obstacles and frontiers are now more blurred than ever.  Although when we think about globalisation our first thoughts might remote us to the McDonalds nearby, living in the so-called “global village”  means way more than that. Going through the process of globalisation should not only mean talking about its perks, such as increased flows of capital and human mobility; it is also important to address what have been its consequences in the world as we know it today. 

Why talk about Refugees?

As a consequence of their vulnerable status, refugees are at particular risk of being subjects of human trafficking. Among several factors related to their likelihood of being trafficked, we can point out aspects of refugees’ physical insecurity; social, economic, and political marginalisation; and lack of legal protection.  From fleeing their country until arriving at their final destination, the dangers encountered are countless. Experiences with trauma and loss, sexual violence, pressure to engage in survival sex and victimisation by smugglers are unfortunately common patterns (and stories) shared by most people who seek international protection.  Furthermore, upon their arrival, refugees are often subjected to poor and dehumanising practices in terms of border enforcement, refugee camp management, labour market, and domestic policies, clearly aimed at discouraging migration while restricting their rights.  Thus, considering such risks, it shall not be difficult to substantiate the legitimate concern that we should have about refugees’ wellbeing and security, bearing in mind that these vulnerability factors are potentially leading to the dark road towards exploitation, abuse, and human trafficking.

A closer reality, among many others, can be used to portray these vulnerabilities to which refugees are exposed every day. Not far from today, upon the peak of the 2015 refugee and migrant crisis, more than one million people would have reached Europe’s shores by trying to cross the Mediterranean.  Sooner this would mean that more than one million people seeking a safe port would be or would already be at risk of being trafficked. Although experience with abuse, exploitation, and other forms of violence are reportedly already starting in the country of origin, the continuation of such traumatic experiences is more likely to happen thereafter, as refugees find themselves in longer and riskier journeys until their last destination. 

Concluding Remarks

Often referred has modern-day slavery, human trafficking remains one of the most widespread forms of transnational organized crime. Thousands of men, women, and children are every day dragged to the rotten world of abuse and exploitation, on which their vulnerabilities account for the likelihood of being subjected to trafficking. However, even if developments towards countering human trafficking have been made, they remain insufficient. 

Accordingly, future prospects to decrease the activity of trafficking in persons do not look optimistic either, as the consequences of the COVID-19 economic recession are expected to worsen, so is people’s susceptibility to being trafficked, particularly the poorest communities such as refugees.

Nevertheless, even if long-term solutions do not seem to be on the horizon, it is important still to promote a better understanding and awareness about the issue. The 30th of July is, therefore, a great example of how we can do so. 

Start a conversation. Use the 30th of July as a wake-up call and spread awareness.

"All my dreams were about sports" - Syrian refugee

"It gives me strenght and joy" - Syrian refygee

"It doesn't matter who you are, you can always play" - Afghan refugee

1- Who are you? Describe yourself

My name is Hamid, I am 16 years old and I am from Afghanistan. I like to play footbal and in the future I would like to be a mechanic. If I get enough money, I would like to help the poor people.  In terms of sports,my favourite sport is football.

2- What do you feel when you do sports?

When I play football, I am very happy and I forget all of the bad things that happened to me. It is very nice for me to play football, I just play and forget everything and I try to put all my efforts to do my best and be the best that I can be.

3- I noticed that you have a tattoo related to football in your leg. What does it mean to you?

For me it represents part of my story and my dreams related to football. It is a boy holding a soccer ball and dreaming about winning a lot of trophies and that´s my dream; I want to be succesfull and achieve all my goals. Furthermore, it was a friend of mine who did this tattoo so it has a special meaning.

4- Tell me about a sports player that inspires you and why?

A sports player that I like and that inspires me is Cristiano Ronaldo. He is a very famous player and he is the best player in the world. He also has a nice story which motivates me a lot: in the past he didn’t have anything but with all his dedication and hard work, he achieved what he has today and this motivates me a lot to always do my best.

5- Would you like to be part of a sports organization?

Of course. I would like to learn more and develop new skills with the help of the coaches and the teammates. I also would like to be part of a sports organization to meet new people and make new friends. I want to practice to become a better player and I think that it is easier to do it while you are part of a sports organization.

6- Why are you so passionate about playing sports?

I am so passionate about sports because it is good for my body, for my health, for everything. If you do sports you never get sick and you feel that everything goes away. During the time that I am playing football I only think about football and forget all the problems and the hard times that i have been through and after that I am very calm and feel that all my problems just went away.

7- In what way do you think that sports makes you evolving as a person?

With sports I feel like I am a more relaxed person,it also  improves my concentration and focus during the activities that I do on my daily basis. I also feel that sports helped me to become a better student and get a better performance at school.

Relationships between Greece and Turkey have always been marked by an alternation of hostility periods and reconciliation periods. From the occupation of the Ottoman Empire, the sharing of the lands after its fall until economic and geopolitical issues to this day, conflicts seem still to persist. 

The aim is to try to understand the how and why, from the situation of the past which might has led to the situation now. Only a tiny fraction of centuries of history is being told. This is not a history class and it has not been written by a professor or a historian. This is just a small article written from the point of view of a young European adult neither Greek, nor Turkish, trying to better understand the origins of a “conflict” between two countries with so many similarities. 

Fall of the Ottoman Empire and sharing of the lands (1830 - 1923)

The Ottoman Empire came through a lot of military defeats and lost a lot of territories at the end of the XVIII century which led it to have an alliance with Germany before the First World War, trying to escape from diplomatic isolation. Thus, it got engaged in World War 1 with Germany but lost this war. 

The day after the First World War, the Ottoman Empire lost almost all its territories now divided between France and the UK. The treaty of Sevres, signed in 1920, was established to divide the territories of the Ottoman Empire between France, UK, Italie and even Greece.  Initially in this treaty, the kingdom of Greece would have been constituted by the current Greece, eastern Thracian and Smirne region, two regions where Greek and Turkish people were living all together. Greek soldiers landed in Turkish territory even before the treaty was signed.  

Economic and geopolitical conflict (1923 – now)

After the War, the leaders of Greece and Turkey were determined to establish normal relationships between the two States. Treaties are signed and Greece gives up all its claims in the Turkish territory. Despite all this willingness to improve and keep a good diplomatic relationship, some problems persisted and still persist now.

The problem is also extended to the air: the two countries do not agree on the width of the nation’s air space. Turkish aviation regularly flies in areas where Greece demands control while the Greek air force constantly intercepts them. In January 2021, Greece bought to France 18 Rafale fighter jets for 2.5 billion euros while its country might face another crisis after the coronavirus pandemic which affected the economy a lot.

Question of refugees

The problems and incidents concerning “clandestine immigration” are very frequent in the borders of Greece and Turkey. Turkey is a crossing point for migrants who want to reach Europe. The borders were closed since 2016 but the situation now is different: Turkey cannot handle anymore the many refugees in its territory and announced in February 2020 that they would no longer prevent refugees from attempting to cross its borders into Europe. Greece reacted by using many inhuman measures which go against European and international Law. A lot of refugees are now stuck in the border between Greece and Turkey waiting to enter Europe and for their case to be examined.

In the beginning of June 2021, Greece announced that it would recognize Turkey as a safe country for asylum seekers coming from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia. Thus, these refugees coming to Greece, passing by Turkey, will be sent back and their asylum application will be ruled inadmissible. 

And so?

Despite all the wars from the past during the Ottoman Empire time, the problems that appeared after played a big role in the evolution of the relationships between the two countries. Some of them are out of control, without mentioning the involvement of Western countries, since the dawn of time, for their own benefit.

Those problems concern mainly the governments but regardless, it is two amazing countries with so many similarities in their culture: gastronomy, music, architecture and really warm people. The average citizens love each other - without including extremely nationalistic politicians - and the two countries try as best as they can to improve their economic and commercial relationships.

Bibliography 

• Countryballs Explained – Why Greece and Turkey hate each other, 2019 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcw17YC4AtM]

• France 5 – The Ottoman Empire and the West, 2011 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haXK9uAWYHw&t=93s]

• Arte – End of Ottomans, 2015 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG2TqH5F1IE&t=1588s]

• Knowledgia – The history of the Ottoman Empire, 2021 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG2TqH5F1IE&t=1588s]

• La nouvelle République – Greece Turkey: a conflict that lasts for 50 years in Aegean Sea, 2020 [https://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/a-la-une/long-format-grece-turquie-un-conflit-qui-dure-depuis-50-ans-en-mer-egee]

• Le Monde – Why Greece and Turkey confront each other in Eastern Mediterranean, 2020 [https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2020/09/14/pourquoi-la-grece-et-la-turquie-s-affrontent-en-mediterranee-orientale_6052162_3210.html]

• Amnesty International – What is happening in the borders between Greece and Turkey, 2020 [https://www.amnesty.org/fr/latest/news/2020/03/greece-turkey-refugees-explainer/]

• InfoMigrants (Greece) [https://www.infomigrants.net/fr/country/Gr%C3%A8ce/]

• Wikipédia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page]

The organization Youth Center of Epirus hosts a facility Agios Athanasios (Άγιος Αθανάσιος) since august 2020 and volunteers help at the facility because the pandemic crisis them change and adapt work to the situation.

I arrived at the beginning of this project and we build it slowly from September until today. This new program gives opportunity to the volunteers of Youth Center of Epirus to provide a non-formal education on several topics to these teenagers. The facility of Agios Athanasios is located in the mountainous region of Zagori, near to Ioannina. It hosts 40 teenagers - asylum seekers from 12 to 18 years old. The place is managed by social workers, teachers, cookers, caretakers, director and others, to give these youngsters a comfortable place to live, a stable basic knowledge and a social, psychological and physical help to develop themselves in the local society and in the future.

Living in a small facility such as Agios Athanasios can be very challenging in several aspects, especially in this pandemic period and since November 2020 the lockdown does not allow them to go to the city when schools are closed. The pandemic situation makes life very difficult for these teenagers, some of them are there for 6 or 7 months and have been in Ioannina only 6 times or less. They had to learn to live in community all together with the only possibility to leave the place for very short times and for emergency. Which is why, our work is very important to them. We are here to entertain them, educate them on many interesting and essentials topics. The activities we organize allow them to interact, to have fun and to learn at the same time. This experience is also very rewarding and instructive for us, the volunteers, because we share a lot about our culture and the teenagers share also about theirs.

The workers main goal is to provide basics needs and education to these youngsters and secondly to find relatives of them. This chance allows them to leave the facility and to build a life with a relative. If no relatives are found, the teenager will stay in the facility until 18 years old or until their asylum seeker application is rejected. Then he is allowed to leave the place to live in an apartment with help and financial support of another program or is being sent back to their country of origin.

Since we arrived, some teenagers have left the facility, to join another asylum seekers who are older than 18, or to join a relative. For example, one teenager left to Thessaloniki to live in an apartment, and another, who is younger than 18, left to Germany to join a parent. These teenagers have many different dreams, ambitions, or future projects. They mostly want to settle in Europe. Indeed, some teenagers shared with me that they want to go to Sweden, to England, or Switzerland. They all have very different wishes that are reflected in their future career plans. Most of them are very sportive, and few teenagers want to pursuit this vocation, for example, to be a fitness trainer or professional athlete in football or bodybuilding. Other teenagers are more focused on computer and gaming field and they would like to become computer developers.

I had the opportunity to speak more precisely with some teenagers and to share a bit of their background and ambitions. Two of them are twins from Yemen, and they shared with me about their experience in Greece. After being in Athens for few months and almost in Agios Athanasios for almost six months, they left the facility in mid-March, to live in an apartment in Ioannina. They wished to leave earlier but, like every other teenager, they had to wait to be older than 16 years. It is a real relief for them to leave and move towards a change. After staying in two facilities, they can finally  pursue their life and long term goals. Considering that they are still minors, the twins will continue to go to school and then explore a particular direction about which they still don’t have a clear idea yet. They will still have the social and financial help of another program, and it will help them with their plans.

Talents

Through this volunteering, we have created a wide variety of projects all together, the volunteers and the residents of the facility. These activities have allowed them to develop different skills, to share their talents, their interests, and their creativity with us.

Some teenagers have a real talent in any activity related to art, such as painting or drawing.  They also painted and decorated the walls of the facility with one of the teachers and our help. This activity allowed them to improve their painting skills, precision and imagination, meanwhile, making the communal living place more welcoming and to their taste. Some of them have building, creating skills. We combined our ideas with the skills of these teenagers.

The teenagers really enjoy gardening as well this is a good way to learn responsibilities and organization to take care of the plants and the garden, even if the volunteers are not there to look after it. In the pictures above, you can see creation of squares that will contain plants and a circle in the middle with flowers. And a door that will have climbing plants, spiral garden and green house. 

Series of inspiring feminism and sorority stories have started! ΙΣΧΥΡΗ or Powerful Series will tell you about inspiring women in our city Ioannina and Epirus region. We wish you will connect to them through their stories follow this series on the ΙΣΧΥΡΗ or Powerful page. 

In Greece there are thousands of refugees and asylum seekers. We tend to hear about them in numbers; - numbers of arrivals, numbers of asylum procedures, numbers of the expenses related to them. But every single number is a human being with a unique story. This is the story of Sawsan - a Syrian refugee in Ioannina. She is one of the many, who has a story to tell. This is the story of her journey.  

Measures have been taken to conceal the identity and to keep the anonymity of Sawsan for the protection of her and her family. 

Η 8η Μαρτίου είναι η Παγκόσμια Ημέρα της Γυναίκας.

Παρά την αβεβαιότητα και με ένα μέρος της ιστορίας να μην είναι ομόφωνο, η προέλευση της 8ης Μαρτίου ως διεθνούς ημέρας για τον αγώνα και την υπεράσπιση των δικαιωμάτων των γυναικών σε όλο τον κόσμο, βασίζεται στους αγώνες των εργατών και τις πολλές διαδηλώσεις στις αρχές του 20ού αιώνα σε όλο τον κόσμο. Τα αιτήματα της εποχής ήταν: το δικαίωμα ψήφου, το δικαίωμα για καλύτερες συνθήκες εργασίας και ισότητα μεταξύ ανδρών και γυναικών, που ήταν όλα μέρος μιας επαναστατικής προοπτικής.

Αυτή η ημερομηνία επαναλήφθηκε καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια των ετών, έως ότου η φεμινιστική αναβίωση της δεκαετίας του 1970 έκανε την 8η Μαρτίου τη «Παγκόσμια Ημέρα της Γυναίκας», που αναγνωρίστηκε και επίσημα από τα Ηνωμένα Έθνη το 1977. Τώρα είναι μια κρίσιμη ημέρα σε ολόκληρο τον κόσμο, όπου οι φεμινιστικές ομάδες και οι ενώσεις υψώνουν τις φωνές τους: μια ευκαιρία αποτίμησης της κατάστασης των γυναικών και απαίτησης της ισότητα των φύλων ξανά και ξανά, μέσω μιας αλλαγής παραδείγματος και του τέλους της πατριαρχίας.

Σε αυτήν την περίπτωση, ας θυμηθούμε ότι ο αγώνας για ίσα δικαιώματα, ευκαιρίες και πλήρη ύπαρξη μεταξύ των φύλων δεν είναι κάτι που γιορτάζεται μόνο μία φορά το χρόνο. Οι σημερινές κοινωνίες θεωρούνται από και για τους άνδρες (1). Η πεποίθηση αυτή καθιστά τον αγώνα για την ισότητα των φύλων μια καθημερινή μάχη για όσους ενδιαφέρονται και αγωνίζονται για αυτό.

Αντιμέτωποι με το Covid-19, η τρέχουσα υγεία, οικονομική και κοινωνική κρίση θέτει εκατομμύρια γυναίκες (2) και LGBTQIA+ άτομα σε μια εξαιρετικά επισφαλή/ αβέβαιη κατάσταση. Στην πρώτη γραμμή του αγώνα κατά του κοροναϊού, οι γυναίκες αντιπροσωπεύουν την πλειονότητα των επαγγελματιών στον τομέα της υγείας. Ωστόσο, πληρώνονται 11% λιγότερα από τους άντρες ομολόγους τους παγκοσμίως (3) και η τρέχουσα κρίση βυθίζει την πλειονότητα αυτών σε αβεβαιότητα λόγω της κοινωνικής τους αναγνώρισης στις κοινωνίες μας. Πράγματι, η πανδημία έδωσε σίγουρα ορατότητα στους βασικούς ρόλους των γυναικών στα κοινωνικά μας συστήματα, χωρίς να τις ενσωματώσει στις διαδικασίες λήψης αποφάσεων και στους κύριους τομείς εξουσίας στις χώρες μας. Η υγεία, η προσωπική βοήθεια, το νοικοκυριό, η εκπαίδευση, η μαζική διανομή και άλλοι τομείς είναι χώροι όπου οι γυναίκες, οι μετανάστες, οι φυλετικοί, οι νέοι και οι επισφαλείς, υπερεκπροσωπούν τις συνθήκες εργασίας. Η ευθραυστότητα ενός τέτοιου μοντέλου επηρεάζει τις γυναίκες όχι μόνο στον επαγγελματικό κόσμο αλλά και στον ιδιωτικό τομέα, όπου η κατανομή και και το μοίρασμα των οικιακών καθηκόντων παραμένει άνιση. Τέλος, πρέπει να θυμόμαστε ότι τα μέτρα που ελήφθησαν κατά τις ισχυρότερες στιγμές της πανδημίας, ιδίως η απόφαση κλειδώματος, έβαλαν πολλές γυναίκες σε άνευ προηγουμένου ευπάθεια, καθιστώντας πολύ δύσκολο για αυτές να ξεφύγουν από την ενδοοικογενειακή βία της οποίας είναι θύματα.

«Οι γυναίκες σε όλο τον κόσμο απαιτούν και αξίζουν ένα ισότιμο μέλλον χωρίς προκατάληψη, στερεότυπα και βία · ένα βιώσιμο και ειρηνικό μέλλον με ίσα δικαιώματα και ευκαιρίες για όλους. Για να επιτευχθεί αυτό, ο κόσμος απαιτεί την παρουσία των γυναικών σε όλες τις θέσεις λήψεων αποφάσεων» (4).

Οι αγώνες είναι πολλοί και πολλαπλασιάζονται και οι φεμινιστικές προόδους και νίκες δεν αποκτώνται ποτέ οριστικά. Ο φεμινισμός δεν σκέφτεται τον εαυτό του σε μια μοναδική και αποκλειστική μορφή, αλλά στις πολλές πτυχές που διαθέτει, όσο είμαστε μοναδικοί και διαφορετικοί. Ας κάνουμε αυτόν τον πλούτο πολλαπλότητας και εξαίρεσης μια δύναμη. Ας είμαστε σε αλληλεγγύη με όλες τις γυναίκες σε όλο τον κόσμο και ας κάνουμε αυτήν την ημέρα μια κατεύθυνση για να οικοδομήσουμε τις αλληλεγγύες μας, και ας κάνουμε τον φεμινιστικό αγώνα ένα κοινωνικό σχέδιο για την κοινωνία στην οποία φιλοδοξούμε!

Με αυτήν την ευκαιρία, είμαστε στην ευχάριστη θέση να ανακοινώσουμε το νέο έργο μας με τίτλο ΙΣΧΥΡΗ (5). Η Joana είναι εθελόντρια του οργανισμού μας, μέσα από το πρόγραμμα του European Solidarity Corps και θα μας παρουσιάσει μια σειρά φεμινιστικών συνεντεύξεων μέσω των οποίων θέλουμε να επισημάνουμε ισχυρές και εμπνευσμένες γυναίκες που θα έχουμε τη χαρά να συναντήσουμε στα Ιωάννινα τους επόμενους μήνες.

«Θέλω να κάνω το φεμινισμό μου μια ευκαιρία να μοιραστώ και να προωθήσω την ύπαρξη εξαιρετικών ανθρώπων στα μάτια μου, προκειμένου να εξερευνήσω μαζί σας τις εμπνευσμένες ιστορίες των καλεσμένων μου. Να κάνω τη φωνή μου γέφυρα ανάμεσα σε ζωές και εμπειρίες, και πάνω απ 'όλα να δώσω πίσω σε όσους με εμπνέουν το σωστό μέρος που τους δίνω».

Τα λέμε σύντομα για το υπόλοιπο αυτής της συναρπαστικής περιπέτειας!

Long live sorority!

******************************

March 8th is International Women's Day.

Despite some uncertainty and a part of history that does not remain unanimous, the origin of March 8 as an international day for the struggle and defense of women's rights around the world is rooted in the workers' struggles and the many demonstrations of the early 20th century around the world. The demands of the time were those for the right to vote, better working conditions and equality between men and women, all of which were part of a revolutionary perspective.

This date was echoed throughout the years, until the feminist revival of the 1970s made March 8th the "International Women's Day", officially recognized as such by the United Nations in 1977. It is now a crucial day throughout the world, when feminist groups and associations raise their voices: an opportunity to take stock of the situation of women and to demand gender equality again and again, through a paradigm shift and the end of patriarchy.

On this occasion, let us remember that the struggle for equal rights, opportunities and full existence between the genders is not something to be celebrated only once a year. Today's societies are thought by and for men (1) . This gap makes the fight for gender equality an every second struggle for those who are concerned, and this for the whole of life.

Faced with Covid-19, the current health, economic and social crisis places millions of women (2) and LGBTQIA+ people in an extremely precarious situation. Put at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus, women represent the majority of health professionals in the field. Yet they are paid 11% less than their male counterparts worldwide (3) and the current crisis is plunging the most of them into precariousness due to their social recognition in our societies. Indeed, the pandemic has certainly given visibility to the essential roles of women in our social systems, without integrating them into the decision-making processes and the main spheres of authority in our countries. Health, personal assistance, household, education, mass distribution, and others are all sectors where women, migrants, racialized, young, and precarious, are over-represented and working conditions are affected. The fragility of such a model impacts women not only in the professional world but also in the private sphere, where the distribution and sharing of domestic tasks remains unequal. Finally, it should be remembered that the measures taken during the strongest moments of the pandemic, particularly the decision of lockdown has put many women into unprecedented vulnerability, making it very difficult for them to escape the domestic violence of which they are victims.

"Women around the world are demanding and deserve an egalitarian future free of prejudice, stereotypes and violence; a sustainable and peaceful future with equal rights and opportunities for all. To achieve this, the world requires the presence of women in all decision-making" (4).

The struggles are many and multiple, and feminist advances and victories are never definitively acquired. Feminism does not think of itself in a single and exclusive form, but in the many facets it has, as many as we are unique and different. Let us make this richness of multiplicity and exception a strength. Let us be in solidarity with all women throughout the world and let us make this day a direction to take for the construction of our solidarities, and let us make the feminist struggle a social project for the society to which we aspire!

It is on this occasion as important and significant for us that we are pleased to announce the new project : ΙΣΧΥΡΗ (5) (“powerful”). Joana is a volunteer of our organization, through the program of the European Solidarity Corps and she will present us a series of feminist interviews through which we wish to highlight powerful and inspiring women that she will have the pleasure to meet in Ioannina over the next 6 months.

“I wish to make my feminism an opportunity to share and promote the existence of exceptional people in my eyes, in order to explore with you the inspiring stories of my guests. To make my voice a bridge between lives and experiences, and above all to give back to those who inspire me the rightful place I give them.”

See you soon for the rest of this exciting adventure!

Long live the sorority!

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1 cis-gender men

2 I mean by "women" all people who identify themselves as such, and by extension I include in my reflection all the different gender identities from the spectrum, other than cis-gender men

3 https://www.unwomen.org/.../in.../international-womens-day

4 https://www.unwomen.org/.../in.../international-womens-day

5 ΙΣΧΥΡΗ is a project with multiple formats, depending on the guests, presenting through interviews the inspiring existence of women from Ioannina. The bases of the project are: feminism, sorority, sharing

Οι εθελοντές του Κέντρου Νέων Ηπείρου σας παρουσιάζουν:

«The Poem of the Week» είναι μία πρωτοβουλία που έχει ως στόχο να μοιραστεί μαζί σας ποιήματα που σχετίζονται με θέματα όπως το Μεταναστευτικό και το Προσφυγικό. Αυτή η πρωτοβουλία είναι ζωτικής σημασίας καθώς αναδεικνύει  ότι υπάρχουν μη τυπικοί τρόποι εκπαίδευσης για να μάθουμε για τα κοινωνικά θέματα και ότι η Λογοτεχνία είναι ένας όμορφος τρόπος για να το πετύχουμε. 

Κάθε εβδομάδα επιλέγουμε ένα ποίημα σχετικά με το  Μεταναστευτικό και το Προσφυγικό και το μοιραζόμαστε στη σελίδα μας στο Facebook / Instagram αλλά και στην ιστοσελίδα μας. Το ποίημα συνοδεύεται από την ανάλυση της σημασίας του και από μια σύντομη περιγραφή του συγγραφέα και του έργου του. Το ποίημα αυτής της εβδομάδας έχει τίτλο «Refugees», από τον Άγγλο ποιητή και συγγραφέα Brian Bilston.

REFUGEES, by Brian Bilston

They have no need of our help

So do not tell me

These haggard faces could belong to you or me

Should life have dealt a different hand

We need to see them for who they really are

Chancers and scroungers

Layabouts and loungers

With bombs up their sleeves

Cut-throats and thieves

They are not

Welcome here

We should make them

Go back to where they came from

They cannot

Share our food

Share our homes

Share our countries

Instead let us

Build a wall to keep them out

It is not okay to say

These are people just like us

A place should only belong to those who are born there

Do not be so stupid to think that

The world can be looked at another way

(τώρα διαβάστε από κάτω προς τα πάνω)

Ανάλυση ποιήματος

Το ποίημα αυτής της εβδομάδας έχει ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον με την πρώτη ματιά. Ως αναγνώστης μπορεί να αναρωτιέστε: γιατί να μοιράζονται ένα κείμενο ενάντια στους πρόσφυγες;

Σήμερα, με τις πολλές ειδήσεις που διαβάζουμε στα μέσα κοινωνικής δικτύωσης και την παραπληροφόρηση που προκύπτει από αυτό, είναι εύκολο να διαμορφωθούν ιδέες προκατάληψης για πρόσφυγες και αιτούντες άσυλο. Αυτό το συγκινητικό ποίημα μας θυμίζει ότι οι λέξεις μπορούν εύκολα να γίνουν όπλα και η γραμμή που χωρίζει δύο αντιφατικές απόψεις μερικές φορές δεν είναι τόσο μεγάλη.

Πρέπει να έχουμε επίγνωση του τρόπου με τον οποίο εκφράζουμε τον εαυτό μας και να προσπαθούμε να κατανοήσουμε τις προοπτικές των προσφύγων και των αιτούντων άσυλο, γιατί ποτέ δεν ξέρουμε τι είδους εκπλήξεις μπορεί να έχει η ζωή για εμάς. Όπως λέει ο Bilston «Αν η ζωή είχε ένα διαφορετικό χέρι / Αυτά τα αγέρωχα πρόσωπα θα μπορούσαν να ανήκουν σε εσάς ή εμένα».

Σχετικά με τον Συγγραφέα

Ο Brian Bilston  είναι το ψευδώνυμο του Paul Millicheap, πρώην ακαδημαϊκού εκδότη από την Οξφόρδη. Ο Bilston άρχισε να δημοσιεύει τα ποιήματά του στο Twitter και γρήγορα έγινε διάσημος (σήμερα έχει 80.000 ακόλουθους στο Twitter, μαζί με 51.000 στο Instagram και 41.000 στο Facebook). Ονομάζεται συχνά "Banksy" του κόσμου της ποίησης και κέρδισε τον τίτλο του Poet Laureate του Twitter.

Ένα από τα πιο ενδιαφέροντα χαρακτηριστικά του έργου του είναι ότι η μορφή είναι σχεδόν πάντα αντισυμβατική: τα ποιήματα μπορούν να εμφανιστούν ως στοιχεία Scrabble, εικόνες δέντρων, tweets, υπολογιστικά φύλλα Excel ακόμη και διαγράμματα Venn. Εάν ενδιαφέρεστε να αναζητήσετε περισσότερα για τον συγγραφέα, ο Brian έχει δημοσιεύσει τέσσερα βιβλία: “You took the last bus home” (2017), “Refugees” (2019), “Diary of a somebody” και “Alexa, what is there to know about love?” (2021).

Σας προσκαλούμε να συνεχίσετε να τσεκάρετε τη σελίδα μας στο Facebook / Instagram για περισσότερα βίντεο σχετικά με την κοινωνικά δεσμευμένη ποίηση. Την επόμενη εβδομάδα θα μοιραστούμε μαζί σας ακόμη ένα ποίημα!

***

The volunteers of the Youth Center of Epirus present:

“The Poem of the Week”, a  weekly initiative that aims to share poems related to the themes of Migration & Refugees. This initiative was born from the understanding that is vital to show that there are non-formal ways to learn about social topics and that Literature is a beautiful way to do it. 

Every week we will select a poem about Migration & Refugees and share it on our Facebook/Instagram page and website. The poem will be accompanied by an analysis of its meaning and a brief description of the author and its work.

This week’s poem is entitled “Refugees”, by the English poet and writer Brian Bilston.

REFUGEES, by Brian Bilston

They have no need of our help

So do not tell me

These haggard faces could belong to you or me

Should life have dealt a different hand

We need to see them for who they really are

Chancers and scroungers

Layabouts and loungers

With bombs up their sleeves

Cut-throats and thieves

They are not

Welcome here

We should make them

Go back to where they came from

They cannot

Share our food

Share our homes

Share our countries

Instead let us

Build a wall to keep them out

It is not okay to say

These are people just like us

A place should only belong to those who are born there

Do not be so stupid to think that

The world can be looked at another way

(now read from bottom to top)

Poem Analysis

This week’s poem is particularly intriguing at first sight. As a reader you might be asking yourself: why are they sharing a text against refugees? 

Nowadays, with the numerous news we read on social media and the disinformation that derives from that, it is easy to form preconceived ideas about refugees and asylum seekers. This touching poem reminds us that words can easily become weapons and the line that separates two contrasting opinions sometimes it is not that long.

We need to be conscious about how we express ourselves and try to understand refugees and asylum seeker’s perspectives, because we never know what kind of surprises life might have for us. As Bilston says “Should life have dealt a different hand/These haggard faces could belong to you or me”. 

About the Author

Brian Bilston is the pseudonym of Paul Millicheap, a former academic publisher from Oxford. Bilston started publishing his poems on Twitter and quickly became famous (nowadays he has 80,000 followers on Twitter, alongside 51,000 on Instagram, and 41,000 on Facebook). He is often called the “Banksy” of the poetry world and won the title of Poet Laureate of Twitter. 

One of the most interesting characteristics of his work is that the form is almost always unconventional: poems can appear as Scrabble clues, tree images, tweets, Excel spreadsheets and even Venn diagrams.  If you are interested in searching more about the author, Brian has four books published: “You took the last bus home” (2017), “Refugees” (2019), “Diary of a somebody” and “Alexa, what is there to know about love?” (2021). 

We invite you to keep checking our Facebook/Instagram page and website for more videos about socially engaged literature. Next week we will share with you another poem!

«The Poem of the Week» είναι μία πρωτοβουλία που έχει ως στόχο να μοιραστεί μαζί σας ποιήματα που σχετίζονται με θέματα όπως το Μεταναστευτικό και το Προσφυγικό.

Αυτή την εβδομάδα σας παρουσιάζουμε το ποίημα «They Took Your Home From You Now They Call You Refugee» από τη Βρετανίδα – Ινδή ποιήτρια και συγγραφέα Nikita Gill. Η Gill είναι μία από τις πιο επιτυχημένες «Instapoets» των ημερών μας έχοντας δημοσιεύσει πάνω από 360 δημοσιεύσεις. (Instapoetry είναι ένα στυλ ποίησης που προέκυψε ως αποτέλεσμα των μέσων κοινωνικής δικτύωσης).

Πιστεύουμε ότι το ποίημα της Gill είναι συναρπαστικό και συναισθηματικό. Περιγράφει πώς η έννοια του «σπιτιού» αλλάζει αναπόφευκτα για κάποιον που είναι τώρα πρόσφυγας. Το πιο σημαντικό, τονίζει την ιδέα ότι το να γίνεις πρόσφυγας δεν είναι επιλογή. Κανείς δεν θέλει να εγκαταλείψει το σπίτι του και να μετακομίσει σε άλλη χώρα, εκτός εάν προσπαθεί να σώσει τη ζωή του.

«They Took Your Home From You Now They Call You Refugee», by Nikita Gill

Home is a language 

you grew in your mouth

that now no longer exists anywhere

but inside your heart and head

Home is where

you had to teach your children

how to run from men who are dressed 

in war and blood

Home is now a legend

a story of where you grew up,

happy and safe before

they set your entire world aflame.

Home is where you ran to the sea

because the place you once belonged to,

now no longer remembers your name.

Home was your refuge.

Now, after cruelly taking it from you,

they call you a refugee.

Σας προσκαλούμε να συνεχίσετε να τσεκάρετε τη σελίδα μας στο Facebook /Instagram για περισσότερα βίντεο σχετικά με την κοινωνικά δεσμευμένη ποίηση. Την επόμενη εβδομάδα θα μοιραστούμε μαζί σας ακόμη ένα ποίημα!

***

The volunteers of the Youth Center of Epirus present:

“The Poem of the Week”, a  weekly initiative that aims to share poems related to the themes of Migration & Refugees. This initiative was born from the understanding that is vital to show that there are non-formal ways to learn about social topics and that Literature is a beautiful way to do it. 

Every week we will select a poem about Migration & Refugees and share it on our Facebook/Instagram page and website. The poem will be accompanied by an analysis of its meaning and a brief description of the author and its work. This week’s poem is entitled “They Took Your Home From You Now They Call Your Refugee”, by the English-Indian poet and writer Nikita Gill. 

THEY TOOK YOUR HOME FROM YOU NOW THEY CALL YOU REFUGEE, by Nikita Gill

Home is a language 

you grew in your mouth

that now no longer exists anywhere

but inside your heart and head

Home is where

you had to teach your children

how to run from men who are dressed 

in war and blood

Home is now a legend

a story of where you grew up,

happy and safe before

they set your entire world aflame.

Home is where you ran to the sea

because the place you once belonged to,

now no longer remembers your name.

Home was your refuge.

Now, after cruelly taking it from you,

they call you a refugee.

Poem Analysis

We believe Gill’s poem is engaging and emotional. She describes how the concept of “home” inevitably changes for someone who is now a refugee. Contrary to the poem of last week,  “First-generation immigrant”, by Rupi Kaur, this week’s poem explores more the process of losing home, all the different steps that someone has to be through until they become a refugee: the war, the need to “run to the sea” to escape conflict, the unavoidable forgetfulness from home and being labelled as “refugee” by the world.

Most importantly, she emphasises that becoming a refugee is not a choice. No one wants to abandon their home and move to another country, unless they are trying to save their lives. 

About the Author

Gill is one of the most successful “Instapoets” nowadays (“Instapoetry” is a style of poetry that emerged as a result of social media), having published just over 360 posts. Her writing career started early: she had her first piece published in a local newspaper in India when she was only 12 years old. She gets inspiration from larger forces like the universe, stars and far-away galaxies and usually writes about love, anxiety, loneliness, heartbreak, migration and displacement.

If you are interested in getting to know more about her, she has many books published:  “Wild Embers: Poems of rebellion, fire and beauty” (2017), “Your Soul is a River” (2018), “Fierce Fairytales: & Other Stories to Stir Your Soul” (2018), “Your Heart Is The Sea” (2019),

 “Great Goddesses: Life lessons from myths and monsters” (2019), “The Girl and the Goddess” (2020) and “Where Hope Comes From: Healing poetry for the heart, mind and soul” (2021).

We invite you to keep checking our Facebook/Instagram page and website for more videos about socially engaged literature. Next week we will share with you another poem!

I am a French volunteer, from Europe Solidarity Corp. I come from Martinique, an island in the Caribbean, and I am here, in Greece, for two months. I had a peaceful childhood, my family takes care of me, but I always thought my life wasn't the best. Not having known my father has often made me think, leaving an emptiness in my heart that could never be filled. I accepted this volunteer mission because I want to gather work experiences, but mostly because I like to give love to others, I like to know that my loved ones feel good, maybe because I know, or at least I thought I knew, how it’s feel to suffering. I was aware of the history of the majority of the teenagers, whom are under aged asylums seekers, I was going to care for. I assumed that some of them knew the war, or wanted to run away of their countries, for diverse reasons. However, I didn't really realize what it really implies.

My first meeting with the teenagers, at the facility, was warm, and I remember 2 faces who particularly touched me. When I saw the place -a pretty big house which is their home and their classroom- I thought about some activities I could do with them, activities based on non-formal education. I sympathized, at least from my point of view, with those I met quite quickly. Some of them knew some sentences in French, in Greek, and even in Spanish, so it was kind of funny to talk with the boys. I also told them that I will teach some karate class, sport I used to do at a high level; we did some small fights in the rules of the art, and I was glad to see some of them happy to do it. I also saw a big feeling of fraternity between each other, and it was really pleasant to see.

 But it was at the end of the day, when I remembered what had happened, that something struck me. Most of them are from my generation. And most of them come from countries like Afghanistan, Yemen and Pakistan. It is the kind of countries that our medias are talking about only when there is a war, a civil war, or a terrorist attack. Even if it is typically occidental to associate these countries to serious, hurtful event, it is a fact that living in these countries is painful.  We had barely a few years apart, and yet we had a history and a journey that was opposite to the extreme. Imagine being separated from your family, simply because the "rulers" of their countries have a baby-like fight. Imagine leaving your friends, your country because of incapable people. Imagine losing your bearings, your culture, abandoning your home, because of people who only want to become rich. I would have gone crazy. We all would have gone crazy. We would have all sought to revenge, even if it meant lowering ourselves to the level of those "rulers".

And if they don’t run away from the war, they are leaving their own homeland because of the insane poverty over there. I don’t see why it is a crime. They are driven by the survival instinct. If it is a crime to want to live in a better condition and have a job, why do you go to work every day?

However, despite their story, I see them smiling. I see them, despite the absolute horror of what they've been through, managing to move forward, thinking about their future, and doing everything possible to lead a peaceful life. I see them, with dreams, with wishes in their heads to fulfill.

I felt ashamed of myself. From my little comfort, I managed to complain because I didn't get the brand-new sweater from a brand that exploits the Uyghurs¹. I was able to complain because I didn't have a new watch that cost a French minimum wage. I was able to complain because I had the nerve to feel lonely sometimes. I guess for anyone who hasn't met these kids, or witnessed their story, this kind of nonsense must be normal.

Our parents, to make us take a step-back when we throw a tantrum, often said to us "Think of the little Syrian children who have nothing" which, afterwards, is a little disgusting and slightly racist. However, now, I guess I will avoid these non-vital things, and thank Allah, God, Jesus Christ, Buddha, the Universe for sparing me a tragedy such as some of the children have experienced, and facilitate them, from the absolute bottom of my heart, for their future, and for each of them, to fulfill their dreams.

¹ https://youtu.be/tR11b7uh17Y In this video is described the mass genocide operated by the Chinese government against the Uyghurs.

«The Poem of the Week» είναι μία πρωτοβουλία που έχει ως στόχο να μοιραστεί μαζί σας ποιήματα που σχετίζονται με θέματα όπως το Μεταναστευτικό και το Προσφυγικό. Αυτήν την εβδομάδα παρουσιάζουμε το ποίημα “First-Generation immigrant”, από την γεννημένη στην Ινδία Καναδή ποιήτρια, συγγραφέα και εικονογράφο Rupi Kaur. Αυτό το ποίημα είναι μέρος του πρώτου βιβλίου της, “Milk and Honey” (2014), που πούλησε πάνω από 3 εκατομμύρια αντίτυπα παγκοσμίως.

Πιστεύουμε ότι η απλότητα του ποιήματος καταφέρνει να δείξει τις δυσκολίες του να είσαι μετανάστης πρώτης γενιάς. Η Rupi περιγράφει μια κατάσταση που συμβαίνει σε πολλούς ανθρώπους, συμπεριλαμβανομένης και της ίδιας: γεννήθηκε στο Punjab  και μετανάστευσε στον Καναδά όταν ήταν τριών ετών, έγινε, όπως εκφράζεται στο ποίημά της, «μια γέφυρα μεταξύ δύο χωρών».

“First-generation immigrant”, by Rupi Kaur

they have no idea what it is like

to lose home at the risk of

never finding home again

have your entire life

split between two lands and

become the bridge between two countries

Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Σας προσκαλούμε να συνεχίσετε να τσεκάρετε τη σελίδα μας στο Facebook / Instagram για περισσότερα βίντεο σχετικά με την κοινωνικά δεσμευμένη ποίηση. Την επόμενη εβδομάδα θα μοιραστούμε μαζί σας ακόμη ένα ποίημα!

***

The volunteers of the Youth Center of Epirus present:

“The Poem of the Week”, a  weekly initiative that aims to share poems related to the themes of Migration & Refugees. This initiative was born from the understanding that is vital to show that there are non-formal ways to learn about social topics and that Literature is a beautiful way to do it. Every week we will select a poem about Migration & Refugees and share it on our Facebook/Instagram page and website. The poem will be accompanied by an analysis of its meaning and a brief description of the author and its work. This week’s poem is entitled “First-Generation immigrant”, by the Indian-born Canadian poet, author and illustrator Rupi Kaur.

FIRST-GENERATION IMMIGRANT, by Rupi Kaur

they have no idea what it is like

to lose home at the risk of

never finding home again

have your entire life

split between two lands and

become the bridge between two countries

Music: https://www.bensound.com

Poem Analysis

Rupi’s poem is short, but heartwarming. With only 6 lines she is able to make us reflect about what it means to be a first-generation immigrant, specifically the difficulties that many people don’t even dream about. Rupi describes a situation that happens to many people, including herself: she was born in Punjab and immigrated to Canada when she was three years old, becoming, as expressed in her poem, “a bridge between two countries”. 

She really establishes a difference between “they” (the people that never had to face the heartbreaking experience of leaving home) and people like her, that after losing home still have to deal with the feeling of having two nationalities/cultural backgrounds.

About the Author

Rupi Kaur is one of the most famous poets nowadays. She has three books published: “Milk and Honey” (published in 2015, when she was a 21-year-old university student), “The sun and her flowers” (2017) and “Home Body” (2020). She rose to fame on Instagram and Tumblr by publishing her visual poetry and is often viewed as being at the forefront of Instapoetry. Her work touches on love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity, and migration. 

We invite you to keep checking our Facebook/Instagram page and website for more videos about socially engaged literature. Next week we will share with you another poem!

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