No One Leaves Home

No One

Leaves

Home

Introduction

Artifact

Ethics

Citations

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Introduction

“No One Leaves Home” captures the relentless struggle of forced migration, inspired by Warsan Shire's powerful words in her poem “Home” originally published on the social media platform Instagram. This graphic narrative speaks to the desperation that drives individuals to flee for survival and showcases the untold lives and experiences of refugees that face the peril of displacement for safety. Ultimately, “No One Leaves Home” seeks to deepen empathy and understanding of the refugee experience and bear witness to their stories. No one chooses to leave their home lightly, and every journey deserves to be seen.

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no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well

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Fatima

Figure 1

your neighbors running faster than you breath bloody in their throats the boy you went to school with who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory is holding a gun bigger than his body you only leave home when home won't let you stay.

Child Soilders

Figure 2

no one leaves home unless home chases you fire under feet hot blood in your belly it's not something you ever thought of doing until the blade burnt threats into your neck and even then you carried the anthem under your breath only tearing up your passport in an airport toilets sobbing as each mouthful of paper made it clear that you wouldn't be going back.

Hunger

Figure 3

you have to understand, that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land no one burns their palms under trains beneath carriages no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck feeding on newspaper unless the miles traveled means something more than journey. no one crawls under fences no one wants to be beaten pitied

Grave Violations

Figure 4

no one chooses refugee camps or strip searches where your body is left aching or prison, because prison is safer than a city of fire and one prison guard in the night is better than a truckload of men who look like your father no one could take it no one could stomach it no one skin would be tough enough

Figure 5

Ahmed Burale

the go home blacks refugees dirty immigrants asylum seekers sucking our country dry niggers with their hands out they smell strange savage messed up their country and now they want to mess ours up how do the words the dirty looks roll off your backs maybe because the blow is softer

Prejudice

Figure 6

or the words are more tender than fourteen men between your legs or the insults are easier to swallow than rubble than bone than your child body in pieces. i want to go home, but home is the mouth of a shark home is the barrel of the gun and no one would leave home unless home chased you to the shore unless home told you to quicken your legs leave your clothes behind crawl through the desert wade through the oceans drown save be hunger beg forget pride your survival is more important

Figure 7

Harrasment

No One Leaves

no one leaves home until home is a sweaty voice in your ear saying- leave, run away from me now i dont know what i've become but i know that anywhere is safer than here

Home.

Call for Action

Figure 8

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Ethics

We hope “No One Leaves Home” will effectively communicate the intricate factors affecting global migration and the complex considerations made by those involved. By doing this we hope to not only honor the specific stories of refugees, but create awareness of the driving forces and man-made complications to refugee journeys. The combination of abstract imagery from the poem with specific narratives and historical events should work to illustrate the need for humanitarian effort and social change and simultaneously emphasize the humanity of each individual involved. This should achieve the larger goal of rehumanizing refugees through showing the danger and trauma they face while also understanding that this does not define their story or undermine their humanity. Given the final goal of our project is to advocate for refugees, understanding the ethical considerations of representation is a vital and necessary component in ensuring our final goal is achieved, and the weight of our design process is fully understood.

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Citations

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Grave Violations

A boy who was abducted by an armed group in South Sudan looks out of a window of a UNICEF-supported child care center after being released. Children continue to be recruited and used by parties to conflict at alarming rates. Boys and girls are used by armed forces or armed groups in a number of capacities (fighter, cook, porter, messenger, spy). Many are subjected to sexual exploitation. Between 2005 and 2022, more than 105,000 children were verified as recruited and used by parties to conflict, although the actual number of cases is believed to be much higher. © UNICEF/UN0202117/Rich

In Somalia, between October 2019 and September 2021, there were a total of 8,042 verified grave violations against 6,501, meaning that more than one thousand children experienced multiple grave violations. This included a combination of recruitment and use of child soldiers, abduction, sexual violence, and killings or maiming. The overwhelming violations against children illustrate the presence of danger in daily life in Somalia, so people may have no other choice but to leave life behind to protect themselves and their children.

Prejudice

A newly arrived Somali refugee is forced out of the queue outside a reception centre in the Ifo 2 refugee camp in Dadaab, near the Kenya-Somalia border, in Garissa County, Kenya, July 28, 2011 © 2011 Reuters

When Somalis arrived in new countries, they encountered prejudice. Many were accused of taking advantage of social systems or perceived as dangerous because of previous stereotypes. For example, during and after their civil war, many Somalis sought refuge in Kenya and now call it home. Despite their contribution to Kenyan society, Somalian refugees have been the victim of discrimination and terror by the Kenyan police as tension rises due to continued al-Shabaab attacks.

Call to Action

While Shire and each experience outlined throughout this work is certainly unique, there are far too many instances of manmade struggles forced upon refugee populations. From unnecessary violence to unprompted negative attitudes, refugee struggles span far beyond the nations from which they have fled. Our desire for this product is that the shocking imagery shown by Shire matched with the real stories and statistics has not only captured your attention but demonstrated the reality of refugees' struggles and strength. We hope this work has inspired a desire for both political action and social awareness for the work that is to be done to improve the conditions of those who are forced to flee their homes in search of safety.

Ahmed Burnale

Ahmed Burale via Study International

Ahmed Burale was only eight years old when his family was forced to flee Somalia in search of safety. In his story, Burale explained that his family was happy in Somalia, it was their home where they had settled, but they had to leave as constant military raids, death of family members, and disruption of people’s lives due to their political affiliation became far too pressing to ignore. Upon fleeing to Kenya, Burale and his family continued to face danger as the refugee camps were often raided and abuse and assault was common. Despite years of constant fear, danger, and attack, Ahmed Burale finally made it to the United States around 2016 where he has settled and found a greater sense of safety as he pursues a higher education.

Hunger

A malnourished 2-year-old sits by his mother (L), who was recently displaced by drought, at a malnutrition stabilization center run by Action Against Hunger, Mogadishu, Somalia, June 5, 2022. (AP Photo)

In Somalia, an estimated 1.5 million children under the age of five face acute malnutrition, which represents 45% of the total children population. In October 2022, it was found that every single minute of every single day, a child is admitted to a health facility for treatment of severe acute malnutrition. Malnutrition persists in Somalia due to years of conflict, climate, and poverty. This is only one of the prevalent issues that force families to flee and seek refuge elsewhere.

Harrasment

Al-Shabab, the group claiming responsibility for the deadly attack, has links to al Qaeda. Via ABC News.

While many refugees from Somalia pour into Kenya to seek out safety, they often still are threatened by routine violence. In Kenya, the al-Shabaab terror group frequently conducts attacks, often singling out Somali migrant populations. Not only are Somalians at grave risk for attack by al-Shabaab groups, but they are further attacked by Kenyan security forces who respond to acts of terror and often beat and raid Somali refugees. This situation is far too common for refugee populations who have seeked asylum as they are often singled out and attacked in the nations where they seek asylum, complicating the idea of safety they have fled their homes to find.

Child Soilders

It is estimated that about 40% of all child soldiers globally are active on the African continent. GALLO IMAGES/REUTERS/JACKY NAEGELEN

During the Somali Civil War, approximately 6,200 children were recruited during the years of 2010-2016, with around 2,000 of these children being used in conflict. These children are being recruited by terrorist groups fighting against the Somali government. They target large groups of vulnerable children, recruiting them from schools, orphanages, and churches. Some of these child soldiers are forcefully taken; however, many of them voluntarily join the Civil War under the belief that they are helping their country.

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Fatima's Story

Image taken via The UN Refugee Agency

Fatima was an 11-year-old Somali girl when she escaped her war-torn village alone, leaving her family behind. After settling in a Kenyan camp and becoming a mother at the age of 16, Fatima’s family found her and threatened her for having multiracial children outside marriage. She could not go back home. As a result, she fled to Thailand where she faced hostility and detention with her ill daughter. With UNHCR support, her case for U.S. resettlement was fast-tracked due to her daughter’s condition but was then temporarily delayed by a travel ban. Finally, once permitted entry, Fatima arrived in the U.S., and is now working towards a safer, stable future for her children. Fatima ran to the border when she saw her neighbors running in a desperate escape, but returning home is now impossible as Somalia remains the mouth of a shark.

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