Dear All,
 
I am forwarding a link to a short film below, created some time ago by me and three colleagues. 
 
This short film examines the correlation between mental health and the experiences of immigrants in their adopted countries.
 
It uses the case of a Refugee from a fictitional country in the Balkans, the ‘Shimshish Republic’, to demonstrate how factors such as neighbourhood hostility to immigrants, long waiting for resolution of asylum applications, enforced/involuntary poverty, and the sheer solitude of life in a strange foreign country where one is unwanted, all combine to affect mental health within most immigrant communities.
 
Whilst designed to reflect the experiences of refugees in the United Kingdom, this seems to be a widespread experience within Immigrant / refugee communities all over the world, especially in Western Europe.
 
The challenge is clearly for the public policy arena, especially agencies responsible for the welfare and settlement of refugees and other immigrants, to design solutions that ensure that those leaving their countries fit and healthy, often escaping life-and-death situations in search of a safe haven, do not end up being subjected to life-threatening conditions akin to, or even worse than, the conditions that forced a fleeing refugee from his or her own country of origin!
 
In this regard it is hope that ‘Refugee in the City’ goes a long way as a starting point in improving the welfare of immigrants here in the United Kingdom and all over the world. Please email back with any feedback to the undersigned at bob.awuor@yahoo.com
P/S: This film is freely accessible to all via Google Videos.
 
Regards,
 
Bob Awuor
 – – –
Date:  Tue, 20 May 2008 08:51:46 -0700 (PDT)
From:  Bob Awuor
 Subject:  WATCH: ‘Refugee in the City’ [Google Videos]

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Refugee in the City

4 min 6 sec – 11 Aug 2006
Average rating:  (1 rating)

Description: I left Shimshish Republic and in 1999 I came to this City to seek asylum. I had to leave my beloved republic because of the war. I was accused of being a Kamshish’s spy, the neighbouring republic, the country that we are at war with.

I claimed asylum on arrival and with some other refugees, most of them from Hyperborea and Central Priminia, we were dispersed to these council estate blocks at the outskirts of City. I was placed in one of the flats on a remote tower block.

The flat was empty and soulless. There was only bare walls and emptiness. But to my revelation the previous tenant, although had taken everything, has left a computer and surprise-surprise it was connected to the internet.

The neighbourhood was frightening but I decided to wonder around to try and find some friends. God, I was so lonely.

It was a rainy day and I was walking around and this guy appeared from nowhere; I smiled at him and as I was thinking to try and speak  to him, he punched me strait on the face and he said: “Go home you bloody Kamshi”

Kamshi? Kamshishian? I am not Kamshishian! I am a Shimshishian! I went back to my flat, my nose was bleeding badly. It took me some days to recover and after this incident I didn’t dare to go out anymore.

My flat became my prison. But even here I wasn’t left alone. I could here this strange noise on the hall, coming and going. Time after time there was this loud banging on my door followed by a letter coming through my mailbox. Initially I was exited because I thought that there was some news and hope about my asylum claim. But no, the letters were actually articles’ photocopies taken from local newspapers which had these huge titles with hate toward immigrants and asylum seekers.

I just didn’t understand what was going on! I tried in vain to find friends on the internet but I couldn’t. No one wanted to chat to me.

Than I read this article about multiplayer online games, and I thought, God this is a great idea; I had some military experience, so I could use it and on the same time I could get some friends. I played, played, and played day and night; I was only interrupted by this banging on the door. But as the days passed by, I started to care less and less about the banging. I found a new country, new freedom, loads of comrades. I played continually, and although initially my body was aching so much that I could barely straightened it, it didn’t matter. After some time the ache stopped, I couldn’t feel my body any more, but I continued playing, and than one day this huge BANG, this beautiful light came from nowhere, I was lifted and twisted by some invisible force, I fainted.

When I woke up there I was, inside of the game, finally free to roam in my newfound country.

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