 |
| Olaitan Ogunnote, Undergraduate Research Assistant, ECVOntario |
I left saturated and quieted by so many emotions. I felt
inspired and hopeful. I also felt sad and angry.
Seated across this man, restaurant patrons interrupted our
conversations by greeting him and exchanging pleasantries. They greeted with
hands in the air and then proceeded to place them on their chests. He seemed
well known and well respected. His round, slightly sunken eyes were encased in
his glasses, and they told the stories of their experiences, their long, hard
journeys, and their resilient spirits. He began, ‘I escaped hopelessness in
pursuit of happiness’. Abdi is a youth mentor whose ignited storytelling
transported me to the world I would never know.
Our discussion with Abdi was a heavy one, we laughed, and we
almost cried. We caught a glimpse into the life of a man that has had a wild
dance with life. Shortly after his mother died, Abdi stood by helplessly as his
father was murdered right before his eyes. With no parents for support, he and
his ten siblings scattered and ran for survival after witnessing their
14-year-old brother get shot in the back. They all dispersed haphazardly,
severing their family cord. With regret, Abdi confessed that he left his
8-month old brother in his urgency to escape death. They were uprooted from
each other by forces greater than them, and as they all ran in different
directions, they scattered around the world in a similar fashion. Abdi’s
parents and siblings were taken away from him.
As an eight-year-old, Abdi had more access to guns than
pencils and sand was his paper. Following his flight from his town in Somalia,
Abdi walked alone for about 350 km with no water, no shelter, and no food. He
eventually found some adults in the distance who he followed until he reached
Kenya. He recounted being too fragile to continue and having an adult carry
him. It was an ordeal, to say the least. Fortunately, Abdi encountered his
Uncle in Kenya who from there became a parent and a saviour to him. Together,
they surmounted the overwhelming odds that stood against them and found their
way to Canada.
Abdi recalled immigrating to Canada as a young child who did
not speak English. He remembered his teachers being kind and compassionate to
him. His voice vibrated with gratitude as he talked about the opportunity to
receive healthcare and education. Going through what he went through at a
tender age, anger and bitterness grew deep roots in him. To overcome the psychological
and emotional turmoil Abdi experienced, he became bookish. School became his
escape, and he was determined to succeed, graduate, and make it to university.
Abdi did and graduated with a degree in Anthropology and History. He mentioned
that the learning process morphed into a healing process for him as he began to
learn about people and cultures and historical events. The education he
received began to assemble the shuffled pieces of puzzling questions he had
regarding why his native country, Somalia, unfolded in the damaging way that it
did.
The screen glared with the images of a happy family. Abdi
proudly showed me a picture of his wife and his four children on a family
vacation at Niagara Falls. He proclaimed, “I’m living the dream”. I asked him
to clarify on that. What did he mean by he is living the dream? He replied,
“I’m a father, a husband, and a youth mentor”. “I come home to my kids, and
they love me, I’m the world to them. I’m living the dream”. Abdi described
Canada as the greatest country as it gives individuals reason to do well and be
whatever they want to become. His patriotism is unparalleled as his identity as
a Canadian is unshaken. In his words, he is just as Canadian as anyone who was
born in Canada, and he would take a bullet for Canada.
Despite all the amazing things Abdi had to say about Canada,
he was clear in highlighting that Canada as a nation still has flaws. Even
though he reckoned that Canadian values are some of the greatest with respect
to kindness, humility, co-existence, mutual respect, and tolerance are
promoted, he is also aware that income inequality, poverty, and homelessness
are still huge problems in Canada. “We need to advocate for our indigenes”, he
remarked. [1]Only
in the 1960’s were the First Nations people allowed to vote without giving up
their Indian status. [2]Not
a single statutory holiday for the natives. [3]Not
one single currency note with natives on it. [4]And,
the residential schools were just abolished in the 1970’s. All these he relayed
with passion in his voice.
Abdi brought it closer to home and discussed his community
and the issues they encounter. The schools in their neighbourhoods are
under-funded and under-resourced. The police are distanced, and the community
is a hostile environment where the language of, ‘priority neighbourhoods’ is a
euphemism for ‘ghetto neighbourhoods’. Working as a youth mentor, Abdi is aware
that the young people’s parents work two to three jobs to [5]provide
for them. Having to [6]care
for them in addition to that is a difficult task. He soberly recalled an
incident where he witnessed a 12-year-old being beaten by three police
officers. “Young people don’t want to have anything to do with the police. When
you’re such a resilient community, you don’t talk about it. Even when they talk
about it, there are no actions. The community has been over-conferenced, over-sessioned,
and over-trained”, he noted.
The immigrant experience is a unique one. Abdi has since
reconnected with all his siblings. He has a brother in England, Norway,
Finland, and a sister in Germany. Some of his siblings are in Canada as well.
Recently, they had a reunion, and he relived the experience with joy on his
face. With laughter breaking out, Abdi commented that the problem now is that
all their children speak different languages. He prides himself in that all his
siblings attended university despite the traumatic impact of their shared
childhood experience. Abdi suggested that counselling should be provided for
the incoming Syrian [7]refugee
path immigrants. Although preserving their culture is vital to many immigrants,
he also stated that immigrants want to learn and have that sense of belonging.
They adopt quickly and observe cultural behaviours over here in Canada such as
holding the door for people or that it is acceptable for two men to hug. Abdi
laughingly declared that “I never knew dudes hugged”. Immigrants are
hard-working and resilient people, he added.
Abdi concluded that Canada is the best country ever despite
all the issues he pointed out. He said his loyalty is 110% and that the best
thing Canada provides is a voice to speak up. “I’m lucky to be here”, he
asserted. “Even though you go through unpleasant experiences, you see it, you
scratch your head, and you question; you have to move on. It is important to
develop a mechanism that protects your emotions, your spirituality, and your
state of mind. Life is a learning process, and at the end of the day we are all
children of God”, he ended.
Olaitan Ayomide Ogunnote, Undergraduate Research Assistant, ECVOntario.
[1] “On
31 March 1960, portions of Section 14(2) of the Canada Elections Act were
repealed in order to grant the federal vote to status Indians. First Nations
people could now vote without losing their Indian status.”- http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-suffrage/
[2]
National Aboriginal Day is a statutory holiday that is observed on June 21st
only in the Northwest Territories- http://www.statutoryholidays.com/
[3]
“Haida symbols are featured on the 2004 $20 note” - http://www.bankofcanada.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2010/07/1600-1850.pdf
[4]
“The last residential school closed in 1996”- http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools/
[5]
‘Provide’ in this context means catering for physical needs such as food,
clothing, and shelter.
[6]
‘Care’ in this context implies being actively present to guide the young ones
away from evil and towards good.
[7] “Refugee
path immigrants (RPIs) are people who entered their new country through refugee
routes” (Adekunle et al. 2015) https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/Manitoba%20Office/2015/12/Cultural%20Foods.pdf