This paper examines the situation of southern Sudanese
women refugees as they experience life in exile. It shows how these women
challenge the victimized and dependent image of an African woman refugee
through the work they do and the new skills and knowledge they learned while
in exile. My main argument is that African women refugees are not only victims
and dependents, as most of the refugee and forced migration literature tends
to represent them. Instead, despite the difficulties they face, women refugees
remain active agents in reshaping their lives and communities in exile. I
also argue that women refugees’ experience in exile does not only involve
acquisition of new skills and knowledge and change in gender role. Rather,
these women sometimes draw on their new experiences to challenge their representation
and to re-evaluate their past and to imagine a different future unfettered
by the past.
The phrase ‘southern Sudanese women refugees’ is used here to refer to women
who are from the southern region of the Sudan. These women, however, do not
form a homogeneous group but are differentiated by class, ethnicity, age,
religion, language, educational level, and other forms of social difference.
The paper will be organized as follows. First I will explore the different
ways in which the situation of African women refugees is described in the
refugee literature that emphasize the victimized and dependent image of refugees.
Secondly the paper analyzes the experiences of women refugees in Cairo. Here
I focus specifically on women’s newly acquired roles as breadwinners, and
their involvement in economic, and organizational work to challenge the dependent
and victimized image of a woman refugee. The information used in this paper
is based on interviews with southern Sudanese women refugees in Cairo, Egypt,
conducted from December 2001 to January 2002.
Sudanese Refugee Perspectives on
Journey from Egypt to Australia, Canada, and the USA
Martha Fanjoy, et. al
Canada
Thousands of refugees are resettled to Australia, Canada
and the United States every year, and each of these countries assesses
the degree of success of their resettlement programs in primarily quantitative
terms. They examine statistics such as the percentage of employed
refugees, the number who have learned English, and the degree to which
they are no longer dependent upon government resources. Although
this information is useful, it does not provide a holistic picture of
the resettlement experience and fails to include the refugees’
own perceptions of their resettlement.
With a specific focus on Sudanese refugees resettling from Cairo, Egypt
to Australia, Canada and the United States, this study investigates
refugees’ experiences during their resettlement processes from
their own perspective. It explores refugees’ expectations
of resettlement versus the realities they encounter in their resettlement
countries. Through in-depth interviews with Sudanese refugees
still located in Egypt, and with those already resettled in each of
the three target resettlement countries, it found several factors, other
than employment and economic success, play roles in resettled refugees’
evaluation of their success in resettlement. The most significant
finding of the research is that the better informed individual refugees
are prior to resettlement - and the more realistic their expectations
of life in the resettled country - the more likely they are to experience
a successful resettlement and integration processes, regardless of their
attainment of objective indicators such as employment, education and
financial independence. Also noted is the importance of communication
and information sharing between governmental, non-governmental and community
organizations affecting the lives of refugees. Several recommendations
for improving information sharing between these agencies, and the refugees
they serve are examined.
Strengthening the Ties that Bind Us: Building Peace
Within Charlotte's Sudanese Diaspora
Jay Balasubramanian
Tufts University
To address the challenges of peace implementation in Sudan, it is
important to examine the individual relationships within Sudanese communities
that are being transformed and reconstructed to accommodate the shifting
political realities. Specifically this presentation will focus on the
ongoing peace building efforts to build trust and promote reconciliation
within the Sudanese Diaspora in Charlotte, NC.
Typical of many American cities, Charlotte is home to multiple Sudanese
communities, representing different ethnicities, faiths, and socioeconomic
backgrounds. The challenges facing Charlotte's diverse Sudanese Diaspora
as they attempt to forge a new, united Sudanese identity mirror the
challenges facing Sudanese living in Sudan, with the notable absence
of imminent physical and human insecurity.
Given this modicum of peace and stability in the US, how does Charlotte's
Diaspora attempt to connect its diverse threads into a more seamless
cloth? In consideration of this principal question, this presentation
will address the following topics:
1) Genesis of the project
2) Parties involved
3) Main activities
4) Framing and focusing discussions
5) Defining and measuring success
6) Lessons for other Diaspora communities