[ad_1]
The photographs of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, washed up on a Turkish beach on September 2, 2015, shocked the entire world through their cruel, but at the same time iconic, illustration of the ongoing refugee crisis. The boy had drowned in connection with the family trying to leave their native Syria. In the images that were recorded by everyone, he is lying face down at the water’s edge.
In the same year, the discussion in Sweden about the attitude towards the reception of refugees intensified. Alan Kurdi’s fate became a symbol of the year 163,000 people crossed the Swedish border seeking asylum. Many gathered at Stockholm Central Station waiting for a solution.
Five years have passed since the day Alan Kurdi was found dead on the beach. But for the refugees who survived the dangerous passage during the same period, life has been restarted. In a new place, in a new city, with new friends, and in a new home.
When his brother was forced to join the army, Hany Sibai felt compelled to leave Syria. After a rubber boat trip to Greece, he finally went to Sweden. He has kept the key so that one day he can return and surprise his mother who is still in her country of origin.
Photo: Pieter ten Hoopen
At the same time, a large part of the refugees still have the dream of being able to one day return to their country of origin. The symbol of this is an object that many have kept: the key to the house in the hometown. This is a phenomenon that the organization Sweden for UNHCR is paying attention to through a photographic exhibition at the central station called “The Key Home”, which will take place from August 31 to September 6.
The destinations represented of the photographs are dizzying.
● ● ●
Ahmad Terkawi and his wife Ahlam Abou Moslem tell DN how they fled Syria with their children Marwan and Taim as war approached their home in the city of Homs.
– All my friends have died because of the war. My best friend was shot in August 2011. It became too dangerous to stay. Only one of my friends survived, says Ahmad Terkawi.
The family had to take care of everyone. possible means of crossing the Syrian border. The political situation was so tense that no citizen could consider himself neutral in the struggle for power. Therefore, an attempt to leave Syria could be considered desertion. The parents then decided to separate during the escape to minimize the risk of being discovered. Ahlam Abou Muslim would take the children to Jordan by plane, while Ahmad Terkawi would try to cross the border by car. But it would be difficult and expensive, says Ahmad Terkawi.
– I had to pay 5,000 euros for us to cross the border. I paid an official who promised to take us off the list for an hour. Just one hour. If we missed the opportunity, they would take us, he says.
Through meticulous In preparation for the escape, the two spouses, pharmacists and doctors by profession, temporarily worked for the Red Crescent Society, Doctors Without Borders and the UN agency UNHCR in Jordan. After a while, they moved to Turkey. But it would soon turn out that the difficulties for the family were not over.
Haya Alshahel lived in Raqqa with her family. But when the Islamic State terrorist organization became a growing threat, the family fled after successfully selling their apartment. Therefore, Haya Alshahel does not even have the key, but emphasizes that the desire to return once has not left her.
Photo: Pieter ten Hoopen
They paid the smugglers to get to Europe. But things went wrong between Turkey and Greece and the smugglers were unable to land on the European side.
– Then they threw our children into the sea. They told us we were going to swim, says Ahmad Terkawi with a scared look.
Both parents had to jump after going down into the water to save her children who at the time were too young to swim and instead sank like rocks to the bottom of the sea. They seized their children and were finally able to land on the Greek side.
Despite all the horrible situations the family has experienced, they tell how they miss their homeland.
– I think of Homs every day. But I also really like Stockholm, says Ahmad Terkawi.
And despite gloomy experiences, they have kept the key to the house in Homs.
What does the key mean to you?
– I think one day we’ll go back to Homs. My dream is to move the Swedish system to my hometown, says Ahmad Terkawi.
● ● ●
Ahmed Ez has a warm smile on how “kind and friendly” the people of Öland are. After the first stop in Sweden, Malmö, Byxelkrok became her home. Then look inward as you recall the events in Syria.
– We moved because of the war, he says briefly.
Together with his wife Lama Mhaikel and the children Nour and Muhammed Nour, lived in Idlib near the border with Turkey. The city was heavily exposed to war and, in early 2015, clashes broke out between the rebels and the Syrian regime in the neighborhood.
The key that Ahmed Ez has kept goes nowhere. The family’s home in Idlib was bombed during the war and the key is the only remaining key to their home.
Photo: Pieter ten Hoopen
During the fighting, a large number of bombs fell on the city and Ahmed Ez and his wife lost everything they had. The war also brought serious social problems to the city and the area became too dangerous to live in, says Ahmed Ez.
– Everything disappeared. My work disappeared. My car was stolen, he says.
Like many others the problems did not end with the material destruction of the family. During the war, many people lost their lives for various reasons.
– Many relatives died, he says.
Ahmed Ez says the solution was to flee to Turkey and from there on.
– But I had the opportunity to escape with my family. I felt like I had to take a chance immediately.
After the first time in Sweden, the family got a house on the outskirts of Hultsfred. But there was a big difference for the family compared to the conditions in their hometown of Idlib.
– There wasn’t even a store there. But then we got a residence permit and in March 2017 we moved to Södermalm.
Even for Ahmed Ez and Lama Mhaikel, the key to the house in Idlib is of great importance, despite the rust that has formed on it after contact with seawater during the trip to Greece. But in her case, the key today has only sentimental value.
– The apartment also disappeared. It was a plane that dropped a bomb and the house collapsed, says Ahmed Ez.
● ● ●
Away from all the refugees that arrived in Sweden in 2015 passed through Stockholm Central Station. But the place still has symbolic significance, and thus became a suitable place for Sweden for the UNHCR exhibition, says Åsa Widell, the organization’s secretary general.
– We do this to draw attention to the fact that it has been five years since so many refugees arrived in Centralen. With the exhibition we want to highlight the people behind these figures. Many have fled their homes on very short notice, she says.
For Alex Nassan, Sweden is the new home where a new life could begin. She lived a quiet life in Aleppo, but fled for safety when the war struck Syria. The key to her house symbolizes the hope of being able to return to Syria one day, but at the same time she is afraid of not recognizing herself at all in her old home.
Photo: Pieter ten Hoopen
Åsa Widell elevators the horrible conditions many refugees experience before they finally find a place to resume their lives.
– The average refugee has been on the run for 17 years. But many are on the run for much longer than that.
It also points to the fact that many of the people who have had to flee Syria at the same time have left a situation that is very reminiscent of the situation of the average Swede.
– They often had a villa, a car and maybe they studied at university. Now suddenly they have nothing. Most people who flee want to be close to their home countries. They hope to return, says Åsa Widell.
Read more: When the refugee crisis hit the land of fairy tales
Read more: Long journey for refugees: from Damascus to Märsta in 35 days
Read more: Swedish preparation did not last when the crisis hit
