Refugee recalls long, hard road to safety
Praises Sask. where he has a ‘new life
Mesmer Andu Mesmer says he felt like something evaporated from his body when he landed in Saskatoon last September. Finally, he was safe. Mesmer had been dealing with unimaginable stress for seven years by then. He was worried about human traffickers capturing and selling him or his family members. If he worked and did not get paid, there was nothing he could do. He had no voice.
“Now, everything’s finished. I really didn’t care if I ended up on the streets (here), I just wanted to feel safe,” the father of two said.
Mesmer is one of the 51.2 million people who have been forced to flee their homes across the world — a number that hasn’t been this high since the Second World War.
On Friday, Mesmer spoke passionately to about 200 people at a World Refugee Day gathering in Saskatoon. He spoke about the struggles of loved ones, the challenges in the world and his gratitude to have found a safe home.
Before he was forced to leave, he lived with his wife and child and worked at the Ministry of Culture in Education in Eritrea. He got a master’s degree from the University of Leeds in art and theatre studies.
Then, in 2007, 14 years after the country’s independence and seven years after the Eritrean-Ethiopian War ended, the situation got so bad he had to get out.
“After our independence, we never imagined our leaders would be worse than the others. We trusted them like gods, and they betrayed us,” he said.
Mesmer fled to Sudan and paid human traffickers to take him to Khartoum from a dangerous refugee camp. He considered sneaking into Italy from Libya, even though he knew it was putting his wife and child’s lives at risk, he said.
Then he heard about Saskatoon and the possibility that extended relatives could sponsor him to come here. After three years of waiting, he was on a plane.
Each year, Saskatchewan sponsors about 200 refugees from around the world. Churches and relatives bring more people in.
“It’s important for the future of this province to bring in refugees. It’s booming and there are a lot of unique opportunities here,” said Phil Anton, executive director of The Open Door Society.
Anton said refugees commonly give back to society and bring new cultures, ideas and diversity to the province.
“It’s like if they give me shoes, I’ll remember it for the rest of my life, whereas you may not,” Mesmer said.
“Refugees pay back because they appreciate anything, even the small things.”
Although he said he is grateful to be in Saskatoon, he emphasized that this was not a choice.
“I have a brand new life. I’ve lost my connections, networks and even my humour doesn’t work,” he said, with misty eyes.
“Before, I’d joke in a tea house and everyone would laugh, but here I can’t so much. It’s a different culture. I miss my parents, so many things, and I can’t go back, but I know my daughter will do a lot of good here.”
Mesmer said Saskatchewan should continue to bring in refugees but that it’s imperative to address the root causes of displacement, like poverty and conflict, so people can stay in their homes.