CAIRO: Despite being marred by some intra-communal tensions within the Sudanese refugee community, AUC’s World Refugee Day was a “great success, according to Alexandra Kilsdonk, an organizer.
Two thousand to three thousand people attended the annual event, held last Friday at the American University in Cairo (AUC) to “celebrate the courage and achievements of refugees everywhere.
But later in the evening, tensions within the Sudanese refugee community began to surface. Many refugees explained that two groups, the Lost Boys and the Outlaws, got into a row.
According to eye witness Ghada Shourky “a man was stabbed in the arm.
Police soon detained the victim and the perpetrator, as well as anybody “looking vaguely Sudanese, she explained.
Another organizer, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that one person was killed outside AUC campus. Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that his name was Taha Malea Fealjour Bekam.
AUC officials could not be reached for comment.
Much of the tension within the community is the outcome of the hard life that Sudanese refugees lead in Cairo, explained some other volunteers.
Mohammed El-Sharif, an Egyptian who works with Sudanese youth, said that “there is no chance for Sudanese [people] in Cairo because a lot of people will attack them. They make two groups because there is no money or any way to live.
A volunteer at the day, who wished to remain anonymous, said that “there are a lot of stereotypes about the Sudanese community [in Cairo].
She said that elementary schools run by churches and aid organizations are very good, but the Egyptian government does not recognize diplomas from these schools and as a result their graduates cannot go to high school or get jobs.
She continued that “many find strength in numbers and meaning in their lives in groups.
She expressed concern about how violence between the two groups of Sudanese youth will be perceived. “Some people in the [AUC] administration probably share these views [the stereotypes].
But Adam Ahmed Adam praised the day, despite some of the conflicts. “This day is giving us some joy. This day is one of the few positives [for us].
Refugees from Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Palestine, West Africa and Iraq, among other groups attended the celebration, put on by Students Take Action For Refugees (STAR), an AUC student group.
New this year at the celebrations was a special section for children sports, held on the Main Campus at AUC. This expansion of the festivities was in part due to the success of the event in recent years. The early part of the day focused on children and family activities, one of the organizers explained. Refugees, including one women from Sudan who fled three years ago from Khartoum with her three children, exhibited artwork from their native countries.
Other activities included henna booths. Families sold food from their native countries, including Sudanese coffee and special Eritrean bread called injeera. Towards the evening, hip-hop culture took over the celebrations. Hip-hop is a large part of Sudanese refugee youth culture, explained Adam Ahmed Adam, a Sudanese refugee.
Another Sudanese at the event, Joseph Loro said that black Africans and black Americans, “think they are one community, [but] I am Sudanese and I have to dress like Sudanese.
