Maroon Magazine 2018_266

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June 2018 Charles Town Maroon International Conference Magazine But when the shelling of my city began we fled. My brother was very scared for what might happen to the parrot. After fifteen days when the situation had calmed down we asked my uncle to return the parrot to us. We were surprised to hear that he had sold the parrot without my brother’s permission; he had done that because our house was destroyed and there was no more food for the parrot left in the markets. We were very sad. My brother and I cried. We loved it with all our hearts, it had become a member of our family. We lost many things during this conflict. Things we loved, things that were close to our hearts. We struggled with displacement after our house was destroyed. We lost our home in 2013. The bombing campaigns throughout Syria increased day after day until I witnessed the violent bombardment of Eastern Ghouta. I began filming videos to convey to the world the suffering of the people. I wanted the world to know the truth, I wanted everyone to know what the Syrian regime was trying to hide. Bombardment, destruction of homes, killing innocent people, besieging people, death. The Assad regime besieged Ghouta from all sides. They deprived us of everything. Everything became so expensive. The shelling continued on a daily basis. Then another violent campaign began with the support of Russia which involved all kinds of weapons prohibited by the international community. Every day meant more martyrs and more wounded. The hospitals were taking in a lot of serious cases including amputations and paralysis. They were using weapons against us like rockets, explosive barrels, cluster bombs and certain rockets we have never even heard of. Doctors were doing everything they could but there was a huge lack of drugs and analgesics. We experienced a lot of difficulties, a lot of fear and oppression. After all this, they decided to deport us from our country. We emerged from the shelters and saw the enormous destruction throughout the country. Then we packed our bags and left Ghouta for Idlib. After all that suffering we had to leave our country. They destroyed everything and they forced us out of the country. Then they claimed victory. They won with rockets and barrel bombs. I hate all this bombing. We have lost everything. We had to grow up quickly because of these attacks. How will our memories survive? - Muhammad Najem Everything was destroyed. Buildings, hospitals, mosques, schools. We stayed in the basement for thirty days… the whole time without seeing any sunlight. The bombing was hysterical. I lost my uncle during the violent campaign. He was wounded while in the cellar. He bled to death there in that cellar. We couldn’t leave and take him anywhere because the hospital had been shelled. They directly targeted residential buildings, hospitals, schools and shelters. 27
Charles Town Maroon International Conference Magazine June 2018 IndefInIte detentIon: Caring for Refugees in Indonesia as performance Erfan Dana My name is Erfan, I will be 21 years of age this year, 2018. I am originally from Afghanistan. I felt threatened and obliged to flee my motherland due to ongoing war and everyday fighting in Afghanistan. I arrived in Indonesia in 2014 when I was only 17 years of age. Since then I have been incarcerated and in a state of constant uncertainty in one of Indonesia’s detention centres, After many years of imprisonment, I still don’t know how much longer my fellow inmates and I have to stay in this prison camp. At the moment Indonesia has approximately 14,000 refugees and asylum seekers from many different countries. In the last few years the number has increased rapidly, reaching the highest figures to date. This is due to factors such as Australia blocking entry by sea, and that countries that have traditionally welcomed refugees have reduced their settlement quotas regarding refugeesfrom Indonesia. Indonesia has never been a country known for welcoming refugees; it is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention. However, the location functions as a transit route for refugees. At this point in time, this transit country has been treating refugees with resentment. Refugee claims receive little attention and processing their dossiers is slow. In addition to the oppressive feeling of resentment, refugees also experience additional strain from Indonesian institutions set up to deal with immigration issues. The photos provided are testament to the very poor conditions that the refugees experience while detained. In most detention centres here the authorities do not allow refugees to use computers. And they do not allow the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to provide adequate medical and psychological care. As a result, refugees incarcerated in Indonesia suffer from immense mental and physical pain. Authorities also interfere with attempts to provide refugees with decent and much needed recreational activities. In many ways their behaviour towards detainees is rude and dismissive, even aggressive. But beyond all these issues, there is a broader concern that is extremely important and receives little attention. 28
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Maroon Magazine 2018_266

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