Sharing voices they want the world to hear
Journal gives young refugees chance to take control of their circumstances
The Ritsona Kingdom Journal can be a heartbreaking read.
With images such as one depicting blood draining from the map of Syria and stories about refugees’ hunger for peace, the magazine created by youth at the Ritsona refugee camp in Greece is empowering to those living in limbo and at the mercy of the West.
What began as an outlet for the refugee youth to showcase the artwork, photography and writing they created in workshops run by volunteers, has turned into an online production that sheds light on their world of confinement.
After delivering two editions of the magazines for the 750 camp residents since spring, the youth — who make up a fifth of the compound’s population — decided to take it online and launch the journal Saturday, on International Youth Day.
“The journal is an avenue for these youth to express themselves. They feel their stories and images should be read and seen by the world because the people in the camp already know the experience,” said Daphne Morgen, a native of Prince George, B.C., who runs the youth engage- ment space at the camp for Lighthouse Relief, a Swedish aid group.
“The magazine is a very intimate view into the thoughts, feelings and lives of the young people living in Ritsona . . . This magazine is a platform where they can have some control over the information being produced about them. In a world where they have very little control over their circumstances, this can be powerful.”
The Ritsona camp — with residents mostly from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Soma- lia, Sudan and the Palestinian territories — is one of dozens administered by the Greek government and international relief groups to accommodate 62,000 refugees stranded in Greece en route to other European countries.
“There is nothing like the destruction that happened in Syria, especially in my hometown, Aleppo, the city that has been classified as the most destructed city worldwide after World War II and Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” Yazan, who only goes by his first name, wrote in his journal article, “Smile Drawn On Our Faces,” translated from Arabic into English.
“Despite the cruelty of war, we know this is not the end. I insist on succeeding in a country I don’t know, a country that is not mine.”
The youth space at Ritsona was created last December after Lighthouse spotted the increasing programming needs for those between ages 15 and 25, who are too old to qualify for any education program and can’t work.
“I really love this space because when I’m here, I get to do things that I never knew I was good at before, like drawing, and I connect with new people. It makes me feel good,” said Malak Othman, one of the young people contributing to the magazine. The 18-year-old Aleppo native has been in Greece for 18 months.
With limited funding, volunteers run workshops in graffiti, jewelry design, charcoal portraits, mural painting, guitar, smartphone photography and science to keep the youth occupied and help them learn and develop new skills. Sometimes group therapy sessions are held by licensed psychologists.
“What struck me most when I first saw the images, photos and writing by the youth, was how honest and uncensored they were in their art. Their photos captured their emotions, grief, loss, anger, trauma, resiliency and humour,” Morgen said.
“They have voices that they want the world to hear. Their desire to share their insights is incredible, and they do so articulately and with such raw honesty. Despite the difficulties they have faced, they are some of the kindest and most conscientious youth I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.”
The youth space also serves as a drop-in centre where residents can watch TV, play board games, read magazines and books, and use one of the six tablets despite the camp’s unreliable Wi-Fi connection.
“This is a supportive and safe space that helps them forget about the problems and issues they are dealing with, and just let it go,” said Morgen, who has a master’s degree in human security and peacebuilding from Royal Roads University in Victoria.
Musstafa Musstafa, one of the aspiring writers from the camp, recalled the first day when he and his family arrived there from Syria.
“Even the trees were sad. The only thing that we could feel was the harsh cold,” he wrote in the journal article, “Somewhere In The World.”
“This place, Ritsona, has become our homeland for a part of our life. After one year, this place is full and has changed. It has become a happier place. The people who live in this place give it life. They have changed the trees from sad to smiling.”
However, it is impossible to forget the pain and sorrows from the war, he said.