A country to call their own

"A County to call their own but lets not forget it is not their birthright , it is not Palestine." - Window into Palestine Blogger

Since September 21st, Brazil counts on 108 new residents. They are Palestinian refugees who were received by the Solidary Resettlement Programme, implemented by the Brazilian government in partnership with the United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). ANBA followed the routine of integration of these refugees and will publish, starting today, a special series on the Palestinians.

Sérgio Tomisaki/Agência Meios

Young Palestinians are already seeking new opportunities in Mogi das Cruzes

Débora Rubin*
debora.rubin@anba.com.br

São Paulo – During the last four and a half years, it was as if life had stopped. Those who studied quit. Those who sang became silent. Those who worked discovered idleness. The 108 Palestinians that arrived in Brazil in different groups, since September, lived these last years in Ruweished, a Jordanian refugee camp in the middle of the desert. They settled 70 kilometres away from the border with Iraq, a country that they fled in 2003, due to the United States invasion. Despite the fact that the vast majority of them were born in Iraq, they never had Iraqi citizenship. Nonetheless, they went about their lives, although with some restrictions. When the government of Saddam Hussein fell, they had to flee, accused of being "pro-Saddam" by Shiite militias. And life was never the same again.

In the refugee camp, under protection of the United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), they had no free transit. The houses were actually tarpaulin tents. Shoemakers, woodworkers, musicians, academicians, and professors became simply refugees. Life went on through the TV set and the visits that they received. Some were separated from their families during that long period of time, such as Mrs. Rashida, 77 years old (read more about her story on Tuesday, 13th). She reunited with her daughter and grandsons only when the time came to travel to Brazil. For many, the camp was similar to a prison, the only different being the fact that instead of bars, there was a vastness of sand.

"Whenever they would go out shopping, everything was controlled. They would be accompanied by armed men, and had to shop quickly," says Juliana Arantes Dominguez, one of the people in charge of the resettling of the Palestinians that are in the city of Mogi das Cruzes, in the interior of the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo. She is a member of Cáritas, an NGO that is a partner with the UNHCR for the effort. "For obvious reasons, going to the supermarket became fun for them here in Mogi." Many still call their houses tents. And others walk fast across the streets, as if there was still an escort behind them.

In Brazil, the group split into two: 52 followed to the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, where they were forwarded to cities such as Sapucaia do Sul, Pelotas, Rio Grande, Santa Maria, and Venâncio Aires. Eight single men who were supposed to go to the interior preferred to stay in the capital Porto Alegre. In the South, the partnering NGO with the UNHCR is Associação Antônio Vieira (ASAV). Karin Wapechowski, project manager, explains that they all spend a week in the capital to undergo a medical and dental check-up, and also to learn a little more about the country, the state, and its inhabitants. "Despite a few complaints, they are on a honeymoon with Brazil. They never tire of giving thanks when it rains, for example," says Karin.

The other members the group, 56 people, are in Mogi das Cruzes, under the attention of Cáritas. Each NGO works in its own particular way, managing the funds sent by the UNHCR and seeking to cater to each person's individual needs. The teams at these NGOs are the ones that they call – all of the families have received cell phones – whenever they are feeling ill and want to go to a hospital, or if they are not satisfied with the size of the sofas that they have received. All of them, in the South and in São Paulo, are obliged to attend Portuguese lessons three times a week.

The perspective of coming to Brazil represents a new beginning to all of them. There are those who are disappointed about coming to Brazil, because they thought that they would go to English-speaking countries, such as Canada and New Zealand, which have also received refugees. The older ones, almost all of them born in Palestine, cannot stand moving around so much any longer. The Portuguese language, so different from the Arabic, is still intimidating. The cooking pots, not as large as they are accustomed to, and the mirrors are too. The Brazilian habits are too relaxed, especially for the Muslims (the vast majority).

But in less than a month, they are already becoming integrated. In Rio Grande do Sul, the huge Palestinian colony in the state – estimated to include at least 30,000 people – is receiving their fellow countrymen with arms wide open. They help in translation, adaptation, and even offer jobs (read story on Tuesday, 13th). In Mogi, not only the Arab and Muslim colony, but the city as a whole is putting effort into welcoming the new citizens.

And it was in Mogi that seven young Palestinians discovered that it is possible to entertain conversations with Brazilians even without speaking the same language. Through a common passion, football, the boys from there joined the boys from here and formed a team. The story of Twister, a team from Mogi, is the theme of tomorrow's story.

*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum