Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah — finishing my first book two weeks early, a review.
For Alem Kelo, the young protagonist, it appears that he is the product of (now) two separate worlds. His father is Ethiopian and his mother is Eritrean. They long for a united Africa but find themselves at odds when war breaks out between the two nations.
Given the adversarial nature of war, Alem’s father is not welcome in Ethiopia because of his partner’s origin (Eritrean) and visa versa, and Alem is definitely not welcome because he is the product of both conflicting nations. After the military raid the Kelo’s home the family have no choice but to protect Alem and look for life somewhere new — London, England.
The main narrative is about the character of Alem Kelo, the young boy. The character of Alem is not particularly based upon one individual person, but rather Benjamin Zephaniah’s experiences talking to refugee’s and listening to their stories and this is very apparent from the poignant and raw transcript. The heartbreaking truth is that Alem is a representation of the feelings and experiences that refugee’s often face when fleeing hellish extremes for a better, more secure future.
However, in spite of the context behind the young boys character, Alem is a story of a hopeful boy, who tackles injustice, villification and misfortunes while figuring his place out in the world. I originally read Refugee Boy during my first year of secondary school in Citizenship studies, however, I wanted to revisit it nearly ten years on to begin this years book challenge.
The storyline is extraordinary, it fluctuates constantly, both progressing and regressing as it demonstrates the often arduous and complicated journey that a refugee may experience as they settle down in an unfamiliar place. From Alem’s arrival to the country, his experience in a children’s home, his passion to learn and his battle to remain in the country, the narrative covers all themes ranging from loneliness, displacement, bereavement and the unfair preconceived notions that others often assign to someone simply because they’re foreign.
Alem’s determinations to succeed are ultimately the cause of how he faces his challenges. From his perspective of education “School was preparation for the future… and he had no intention to go into the future unprepared” to the respectful nature in which he approaches those around him despite the circumstances he falls a victim to, Alem’s rapport and hopeful outlook is the pinnacle of a determined boy, far superseding the ignorant labels and opinions directed at him.
For me, however, the story evoked a deep sense of sadness. The character of Alem is faced with several misfortunes and really resonates with the struggles of displacement and unfamiliarity as he attempts to remain hopeful and fight for a safer future. Today it’s often seen across social media of the ‘record numbers’ of people taking extremely dangerous journeys to flee the brutal climates that they come from or the racist vilification targeted at refugees, however, Alem’s journey really highlights that behind every number, there is a life, a story and eagerness to start a better life. The narrative highlights the need and importance of empathy and seeing ‘refugees’ as people with families, stories and feelings, not numbers or a group of people from whom we’re different from — because we’re not. Ultimately, we are all humans and that is all that matters, and that’s how we should treat others; with humanity.
Refugee boy in summary, is an oscillating journey of a young boy eager to find shelter from his war-torn homeland. The misfortunes he falls victim to and his experience of becoming displaced lead the narrative to a story which highlights the need for empathy and understanding in an ignorant world. It underpins the prevalence of the journeys refugees take and the experiences both good and bad that they encounter. Despite the books first release in 2001, I truly believe that Refugee Boy has never been more relevant as it is now as dehumanising sentiments still reverberate around our society.
For anyone who wants to read a book with a storyline which immerses the reader and gets them to ponder on wider, current social issues and the importance of humility and empathy, Refugee Boy is definitely one to consider adding to your reading list.
“Look at all the things that I am capable of, and think of all the things you could call me – a student a lover of literature, a budding architect, a friend, a symbol of hope even, but what am I called? A refugee”
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