CAIRO: Sudanese police came to Atif Ismail’s home in the middle of the night many times. Repeatedly arrested and detained for days at a time, the geography and English teacher paid dearly for his political commentary on a Web site.
“I was afraid, his daughter Aseil said. “It was a very scary way to live.
Finally, Ismail was informed that he must leave Sudan. After a four-day journey on bus and train, the Atif family arrived in Cairo in Oct. 2004. The family immediately received yellow cards from the UNHCR, granting them temporary protection as asylum seekers, a process which can take months for many refugees.
“We were lucky, Nagwa Ibrahim Etgilawi, Atif’s wife, said.
Since then, the family has settled in to life in Cairo. Ismail works as an interpreter at Caritas, an NGO that assists refugees. Nagwa has taken up handiwork, selling bags, scarves and hats online and at bazaars on the American University campus. Their three children attend school four days a week at the St. Andrew’s church downtown.
That’s not to say the family is content in Cairo.
“I don’t like Egypt, Nagwa said. “I don’t like Egyptians.
Nagwa and her three children, Aseil, Asharf and Ayman, said they face constant discrimination in Cairo. People harass them and treat them poorly because they are black, they said. Nagwa’s anger rang in her words.
“People talk to you like you are stupid, she said, slightly raising her voice.
Other people call after them on the street, saying “chocolate, chocolate, in a taunting, song-like tone.
“People talk to you. It’s not good. It’s not nice, Ayman, a slight boy of 12, said. “It happens everywhere I go.
Each family member handles the harassment differently. While Nagwa said that she gets angry, and always reacts, Aseil, 16, said she only occasionally responds.
“I say, ‘We are in the city because we have a lot of money, so why do you say that?’ she said. “Then they are usually sorry.
But, Asharf, 14, starts fights over such comments. He said the fights start over “something silly, like a boy saying something to him like “Hey black man, come over here.
Hopeless job searches also increase the Atifs’ frustration with Cairo. Nagwa, who worked in electronics in Sudan, has been forced to turn to crocheting as a means of income. Ismail can’t find a teaching position. These factors, combined with the sudden distance thrust between them and their family in Sudan, lead the Atifs to hope for a better future. elsewhere.
“I would like to live in the United States, Canada or Australia, she said. “There are good schools there. My children would be able to study anything.
In the meantime, the family focuses on improving their lives here. Nagwa is enrolled in three programs, studying English and learning more handiwork. Aseil takes English classes at the American University every Sunday and drama classes after school at St. Andrew’s. Meanwhile Asharf, who wants to be a doctor, spends his Fridays at the Gezira Club in Zamalek playing football. On Saturdays he and Ayman paint and draw at the Townhouse Gallery.
Although the Atifs say their experiences with Egyptians have been largely negative, there are a few bright spots. All of Aseil’s and Asharf’s friends are refugees, but Ayman plays soccer with an Egyptian boy who lives downstairs. Nagwa said an Egyptian neighbor offers her support and kindness.
“She comes to me and asks me how I am and if I need anything, she said. “She tells me that if I need anything to go to her. Sometimes she brings me macaroni.
When asked what he liked about Cairo, Ayman paused thoughtfully.
“The pyramids, he replied.
However difficult their lives are in Cairo and however much they miss their family and old life in Sudan, repatriation, Nagwa says, is not an option.
“I will not go back to Sudan now, she said. “I will go to Sudan after Omar Bashir and this government leaves.
Despite the hardship and uncertainty facing the Atifs, the family maintains a warm and loving household. Nagwa smiles broadly after Aseil and Asharf leave for school in a flurry of last-minute pen and homework searches.
“We are a happy family.
