What would Milan be without all the Chinese-run sushi bars, or Brixton without Balti, or anywhere without spaghetti? The profusion over the years of emigrants, escaping from hardships in their own country to make a better life for themselves in a new place has been the obvious catalyst to the interesting multicultural societies in which we live today.
So why do we still see foreign residents as immigrants, “refugee” as a dirty word, why do we lack the patience to accept and integrate people who could possibly contribute something exciting or critical to our society (I’m not just talking food, but about engineers, teachers, talent.)
A refugee is like any one of us, with dreams, fears and full of possibilities – human capital. The book Refugee Boy, although 15 years old, is still relevant today and is our recommended January reading. Written in prose clear and simple enough for most levels of English, it depicts the plight of a 14-year-old boy from Ethiopia and Eritrea escaping from what at the time was a violent civil war. His father takes him to London and abandons him to chance and the Refugee Council in search of asylum.
The book follows the road and hardships to at first getting accepted in society and then to being recognized by the State. One of the lucky ones. An interesting look at the refugee situation from the other, and from a democratic point of view and well worth the read for the insight.
maka language consulting
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