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A scene from the Palestinian film Salt of This Sea |
Depending on who you ask, and whether you want the official or non-official numbers, Egypt is home to anything from about 100,000 to 3 million refugees. They have no right to work, limited access to education, and very slim chances of being resettled to a third country. Hence, integration and co-existence in Egypt is of great concern.
Co-existence and integration, of course, is a two-way endeavour. The frustrations, issues, concerns and interests of both sides have to be recognised, acknowledged and understood by the other before any form of dialogue, cooperation and peaceful coexistence and integration can begin.
One Concern
NGOs like Tadamon Egyptian Refugee Multicultural Council, launched in 2006, is one organisation that works to promote the welfare of refugees and their mutual co-existence with Egyptians through networking and coordination of mutual efforts. They welcome all individuals, organisations and initiatives that aim to make a positive difference in the lives of refugees and Egyptians living together across Egypt.
IslamOnline.net talked to Mai Choucri of Tadamon Egyptian Refugee Multicultural Council, and a few members of the organising committee, Sankalita Shome, Amanda Kerdahi Matt and Marwa Fikry, as well as a volunteer from the refugee community, Tarnue Seek-pah.
Listen as we speak to them about the Refugee Film Festival, and hear Tarnue’s story as a Liberian refugee living in Cairo:
* About Cairo Refugee Film Festival
*Aims of the Festival
*On Films
*Tarnue's Story |
Mai Choucri of Tadamon first mooted the idea of a Cairo Refugee Film Festival, an idea which attracted and developed into an organising committee made up of individuals who are humanitarians, lawyers, members of civil society and students; all with one thing in common - a concern for refugees’ well-being in Egypt.
The 1st Cairo Refugee Film Festival, held in commemoration of the World Refugee Day on 20 June, seeks to chronicle the lives, struggles, and achievements of refugee populations around the world. Through the medium of film, it aims to sensitize the Egyptian community to refugees’ stories, obstacles and resilience.
The films for the festival will focus on the narratives of different refugee populations. The committee was careful to balance the tone of the overall programming, mindful as well of showing a balanced picture of refugees’ plights and struggles.
Breaking the Myth
Selected films had to firstly reflect the refugee population within Egypt itself (although films reflecting Palestinians’ stories are rather heavily represented) – hence films highlighting the plight of Palestinians, like Salt of This Sea, Telling Strings, Arna’s Children, The Presence of Absence in the Ruins of Kafr Birim, This Palestinian Life, Witness Shatilla, Slingshot Hip Hop, Identity Without A Homeland, Sudanese as Rightful Yet Rightless, Mujahjeheen, and Iraqis films Iraqis in Egypt, Hope, Crossing the Dust, Relocated Mountains.
The committee was also keen to break the myth Egyptians harbour that refugees are all Africans, or from neighbouring countries, hence the screening of such films as Seoul Train (North Koreans), Genocide in Me (Armenians), New Year Baby and Monkey Dance (Cambodians), and Berlari (Burmese).
Sankalita Shome and Mai Choucri stressed that getting Egyptians to watch the films were a priority. All films are presented free of charge for audiences, and the choice of venue was a deliberate one.
The American University of Cairo (AUC) was offered as a venue, but the committee felt it too elitist and would turn away regular Egyptians. The Rawabet Space for Performing Arts in downtown Cairo was a more accessible choice, and would hopefully attract refugee communities as well as Egyptians.
The committee also programmed two workshops that complemented the festival, the photo workshop and the filmmaking workshop. Both involve a mix of Egyptian, Palestinian, Iraqi, and Sudanese youth working hand-in-hand. The works produced from both workshops will be on offer during the film festival as well.
Who a Refugee Is
When all is said and done, what does the committee hope for? Mai Choucri’s wish is simple yet poignant – "We hope to reach the Egyptians…at least if somebody watched the film and understood who a refugee is, we would have achieved something….if it makes a difference, one person understands who a refugee is and who would meet a refugee in the street and would treat him with respect, khalas, I would feel good about what I did."
The 1st Cairo Refugee Film Festival is on from 16-20 June at Rawabet Space for Performing Arts. It has been made possible by a group of extraordinary volunteers under the main Tadamon banner, and proud sponsors UNICEF, The Netherlands Embassy, Movies That Matter, Goethe Institute, Centre for Migration and Refugee Studies (AUC), Cairo to Camps, and Townhouse
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