The closet door in my apartment in Berlin won’t close unless I lean against it. That’s because I have the habit of saving the clothes that my children have grown out of. I keep some of them, because I want to give them away, and others as mementos. In Syria I had a similar cupboard. I remember how I …
– I was happy in Sweden, had friends who loved me and a clear vision about my future. After a long time I had finally started to feel at home again, but then all that collapsed and I became all alone, again, says Arash Khawari. – As a child my dream was to become a …
“I paint to express what I feel deep inside, the passion for living in freedom, the love of nature and the art of being human. To me, what race and gender you have doesn’t matter, or the boundaries that religion and tradition require. I reach out beyond borders and nations to make friends and show …
He closes the door to his apartment, takes off his shoes and jacket in the corridor before going into the living room. He sits on his armchair and opens his iPad to play The Search by NF. After a minute he gets up, goes to the kitchen and drinks a glass of cold water. – …
If you’ve lived in a place all your life, or even left for a few years but returned, you might not recognize how hard making friends can be. When I was growing up, my best friend was Patrick McMurphy. We were born 10 weeks apart, lived across the street from one another, played together nearly …
Adult Migrant Men in Europe are Often Denied Friendship Read More »
My palms clam up as I sit at my desk, open up my computer and wait. After a week chock-full of uncomfortable but vital conversations about racial injustice, police brutality and protesting following the May 25 murder of George Floyd, I prepare for the latest conversation I will have on this topic. When I pluck …
The night was dark and scary, the waves of the Aegean Sea were gigantic and the engine of the broken boat was dead. The heart breaking screams of the women and children in the boat when the waves hit the boat was mixed with the terrifying sound of the lightning, sending shocking waves to my …
From a Simple School to a Humanitarian Institution Read More »
– My dreams recently begin with a text message from the migration agency, saying that a letter has been sent to me. The feeling of happiness that I may have gotten my resident permit is beautiful! It is Friday and I am sitting by the beach Kaananbadet in Stockholm, Sweden, talking on the phone with …
“France Doesn’t Play Around with Refugees which Sweden Does” Read More »
“In the moments of despair, cast your eyes to the summer sky and let go of what worries you!” When I was twelve and I still believed that miracles could happen, I read this on the back of a bus in Ankara, Turkey. For the past eight years I’ve been reciting that quote first thing …
– Please, my children were born here, they know nothing about Afghanistan or any other country. It is January 27th 2020. I am in Malmö to participate in a meeting concerning migration, titled Keeping our humanity. We have just attended a memorial ceremony, lit candles and remembered the victims of WW2, and moved on to …
