By Evi Tsakali,
In this article, I am going to tell you a story, and remember, the greatest stories are the ones that happened for real: imagine that you are a refugee, fleeing the perilous situation of your homeland and chasing hope in a boat fighting the waves of eastern Aegean. You do not know it yet, but you are about to arrive at the Greek island of Lesvos, and get stuck in the hotspot of Moria, a camp with an official capacity of 3.000 people, despite the fact that you will find a much larger number… While you are still in the boat, you meet a teenage girl from Afghanistan, to whom you talk about your dreams and ambitions, but also the problems and struggles you face. That girl loves to express herself; and she will make your voice be heard by documenting what you have experienced in “Letters to the world from Moria”, that will be published on Welcome to Europe’s blog. The girl you have met is Parwana Amiri, and the story of her and her letters is about to follow.
Who is Parwana Amiri?
Parwana was born in Herat province in Afghanistan. Along with her parents and 7 siblings, they fled Afghanistan due to political reasons. After crossing the borders through Pakistan, Iran and Turkey, they reached the refugee camp of Moria on 18 September 2019. Witnessing the hardships and the inhuman living conditions in the camp, Parwana was determined to use words to provoke change. As she explained, the idea of her “Letters to the world from Moria” came up “after becoming active in the camp and starting to build trusting relationships with people, I began writing articles about our living conditions -my story and theirs. Stories that had never been heard or read in the media. Stories that never got out of this overcrowded camp”.
Parwana’s “Letters to the world from Moria”
Parwana wrote her letters mostly at night, by torchlight. In the tent that she shared with her family of eight members, she always waited until everyone was asleep, so that she would sit calmly and find the peace of mind to write in the darkness with her torch. The main objective of the letters is to address the horrible conditions of refugee camps: in order to achieve it, the teenage girl changes perspectives in each one of them. She writes from the perspective of an old woman, who bakes bread and sells it in order to buy medicine for her husband; of a young boy who is afraid to lose himself; of a young woman suffering from the abuse of men at the camp and finally of a transgender person.
As a person who is very fond of writing, I firmly believe that words are very powerful weapons; and the truth that they hold makes us inextricable. Even if multiple studies, reports, articles or podcasts about the refugee crisis won’t tell you something, it is Parwana’s letters that will… This is why I think everyone should download and read “Letters to the world from Moria” (link below).
Until next time, remember; the hardest stones are formed in the high heat of volcanoes.
References
“Letters to the world from Moria”. Available here for free download.
