Milu, Shukar Lulugi
A contributor to the Shukar Lulugi project, Milu is from Eritrea.
The Shukar Lulugi (Beautiful Flowers) project came from the desire of Toronto-based Romani women to create arts and literature and engage with other refugee women of the city. Earlier, Romani women had participated in the Lok Gili or Songs of Sorrow and Songs of Hope project in which they had written, photographed and drawn pictures, among other things, to present their cultural past and memories as well as the new battles and goals in their new life. The goal of Shukar Lulugi is to create space for refugee women to engage in cultural and artistic activities and be empowered through that process. In this initiative they are partnered with the Red Tree artists' collective, Sojourn House, and Culture Link, amongst others.
Website: http://home.cogeco.ca/~rcctoronto/workshops.htm
Selam
My name is Selam. It means Peace. It means Hello in my native language, Tigrinya. My mother gave me this name when I was born. She gave it to me with the hope that my birth would make the world a more peaceful place.
Where I come from there is no peace. The only place that I found peace was in my family.
My family is a wonderful family. I am one of three children — I have an older sister and a younger brother.
Things changed the day they came and took my father to prison. That was five years ago. All the time I think about that day.
I am now twenty-five years old and I have two children of my own. Both of my children are Canadian.
I remember the day I left my country, it was a rainy day. It never rains in my country but when it starts it does not stop.
The night the rain came I could not sleep. The rain for me was a sign. It was the beginning of my journey to a new life in Canada.
When I arrived here things were very hard. I was so far away from my family, my friends and home. I just had my husband in the beginning, and that was really helpful, because he was the onlyl person who understood me. He suffered the way I did so he understood my pain.
When I first came to this country I lived in a shelter. In the shelter I saw people I knew from back home but had never spoken to. Many of us had had similar experiences, and for the first time we started to talk with one another.
It was good talking with people who had similar experiences and who spoke the same language. It made me feel more connected to my home.
I would like to say that Canada has been good for me.
I came here as a refugee with nothing.
I came from a country where there was a lot of pain, suffering, and inequality.
When I was a student studying nursing in the university, I saw how people suffered mentally and physically. The society that I lived in did little to help. In Canada I have also seen pain and suffering but what is different is that society here tries to help. I have seen people without health insurance or money and still receive help. In my country this would never happen.
Moving to Canada changed my life in many ways.
I have learned so much from my experiences.
I did not think I could make it without my family because I was so close to them.
I am proof that a person can survive very difficult things.
Used with permission.