Walking together: Healing and hope for Colombian refugees

w a l k i n g
t o g e t h e r
27
IDENTITY CHANGES: LOSS AND RECONSTRUCTION
The refugee journey, from “life before the problems began” to forced displacement to seeking refuge and
finally settling abroad, is characterized by multiple identity changes, including loss of original identities and
creation of new identities. Undergoing these identity changes involves a stressful process of negotiation,
which can add to the trauma inherent in the refugee journey.
Identity before Displacement
“In my homeland I knew what to do.” - Leo
Before it all began, the persons who today are refugees in your congregation were “somebody.” Perhaps
they were farmers, perhaps doctors or nurses or teachers, perhaps businessmen or women, perhaps
human rights activists or community leaders or journalists. These were people who worked hard and
took pride in what they did; their lives had meaning and purpose. They were able to take care of their
family. These individuals felt a sense of belonging in their community and were respected by their
neighbours and friends. Most were likely economically stable. They were capable, felt at home in their
community, and had dreams and plans for their future and the future of their children. Family lineage
and history gave them a strong sense of roots in their community. All had a deep love for their country
and most had likely never left Colombia, nor did they dream of a future anywhere else then their home
community, surrounded by friends and family.
“It’s hard to leave your family, a family
that you’ve never left before. We’d
never left Colombia before, not even
for tourism. We had built our sociocultural
identity, an identity that we
had formed since we were born.
There are many things that you “throw
away” when you leave your country.
It was really complicated to leave the
country. The culture, the customs, the
social ambience - all of these aspects -
that is where you have your identity.
It’s a huge change. You arrive to a place
where no one knows you. You are of no
importance to anyone in the society.
You find yourself feeling like a feather
in the air.
We came from a region of Colombia where there is a real
family feel...The first thing you do when you leave your
house is to greet everyone. You know that the man that
lives next door is named Jesus, the man across the street is
Carlos. You know who the people are and you greet them.
You speak the same language, everyone understands you.
We arrived here and first of all we couldn’t communicate,
second of all you discover that the majority of the people
aren’t interested in communicating with their neighbour.
The culture is really different. We arrived to a country
that is rich in many senses - it’s rich with culture, there
are people from many parts of the world. The mix of
culture is beautiful, but you don’t know who is who. The
sense of community is lost. The values of solidarity and
neighbourliness are lost, you can’t find them that easily.
This makes the formation of identity in the Canadian
society difficult.”
- David