Refugee Stories Project - Greece

Maria

editor — Fri, 25 May 2007 07:45:39 +0000

Summary

Maria has been a refugee in Greece ever since she fled Iran under the rule of Khomeini, when a colleague of her husband was imprisoned and killed for his political beliefs. Now, after twenty years in the country, Maria still has to renew her refugee status annually and struggles to belong in Greece.

Body

Maria says that her story as a refugee is full of too much fear and insecurity. She has been living in Greece since fleeing political persecution from Iran more than twenty years ago, but she still has no permanent status of any kind. The difficulties of her life as a refugee have taken their toll: the mental anguish of not knowing what the future holds and the memories of bringing up her children with almost no money to buy adequate food and clothes are hard to live with. Sometimes she feels like giving up but finds strength and companionship in an intercultural theatre group.

“Greece is a country that makes you feel insecure. If it weren’t for the theatrical group, it would have been awful. When our work was mentioned in the newspapers, I thought to myself ‘My land is the stage.”

Links 1

Reception and Integration

Links 2

ECRE

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Habib

editor — Fri, 25 May 2007 07:14:25 +0000

Summary

Habib left his home in Afghanistan at 16, when Taliban activists punished his village by closing down the only school and carrying out routine attacks on the inhabitants. Habib fled after being badly injured in one of the attacks and is now living in Greece.

Body

Habib always intended to make something of his life but the Taliban deprived him of a future in his own country. Ill health, resulting from Taliban beatings, forced Habib to leave Afghanistan in search of medical treatment and better prospects. After living in Iran and Turkey for some 4 years with no prospect of earning enough money to pay for hospital care, he tried to reach Europe. He got across the waters in a makeshift boat that took him as far as Greece, where he has found treatment for his injuries, but not the future he had hoped for.

“My mind is confused. After 7 years away from my country, I called one day to talk to my mother and they told me she had died. There was a war going on where we were living, and there was nothing they could have done, they did not have medicine, they could not go to the hospital, so she died.”