Rokia Traoré Speaks Out for World Refugee Day

Browse by:
Year
Browse by:
Publish date (field_publish_date)
Submitted by nonesuch on
Article Type
Publish date
Excerpt

Rokia Traoré joined the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at a refugee camp in Burkina Faso to meet and hear from those displaced by the troubles in her home country of Mali. In honor of today's World Refugee Day, Traoré has written about the experience in an essay, which you can read here.

Copy

Rokia Traoré has joined the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at a refugee camp in Burkina Faso to meet and hear from those displaced by the troubles in her home country of Mali. In honor of today's World Refugee Day, Traoré wrote the following.

Today is World Refugee Day and all around the world UN agencies and partner organisations are shining a spotlight onto the lives of refugees.

I am Rokia Traore, a Malian singer, songwriter and perfomer and I have come to Goudoubo camp, Burkina Faso with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to listen to the stories of the Malian refugees who fled their country after a conflict in the North erupted back in early 2012. There are over 34,000 Malian refugees in Burkina Faso—most of whom fled from northern Mali.

Being involved with the UN Refugee Agency feels simply like the right thing to do—to have an opportunity to shine a spotlight and help in whatever way I can is a natural reaction that all humankind has for each other.

What makes this particular situation so right is that Mali is my home and I too have felt the impact of this crisis which forced me to also change my life—though not to the extent of the refugees. I remember listening to singers when I was performing with Africa Express in Manchester and the song went “When will I go back home” and being in tears as at that time I didn’t know if it would ever be possible to build my dreams as I imagined them before the crisis.

It feels like am about to visit relatives who are in some sort of trouble—I find it unbearable to know the ongoing misery that affects so many of my people. I want to hear what people have to say and learn about what has happened to them and try to show that we are all one. I want to try to bring their voices to decision makers who can change their lives.

We drive from Ougadougou to Dori, in northern Burkina Faso and I am greeted at the entrance to the refugee camp in Goudoubo by a line of elders and partner organisations. We walk slowly up the line shaking hands with everyone and suddenly am overcome—one man Mohammed reaches out and we hug—there was something so symbolic about this—I can’t explain. A linking of north and south and we immediately all felt more at ease—the whole group.

We headed to a child’s safe play area where kids were singing and learning new songs. I couldn’t help myself when they handed me the doundou / drums and we jammed for a while with the kids echoing my words and everyone joining in. It felt good to us all to be able to sing and smile.

We then visited Izata a 32 year old woman who had fled from Gao with her husband in 2012 . He had then returned to Mali and been killed. She is now on her own with just her two children—Aminata and Mohamed struggling to get by and deal with her grief and isolation. She tells us that she had been given everything we saw in her tattered shelter—the bedding, the mats, the pots, pans and even the clothes she was wearing as when they fled they had absolutely nothing on them and they had walked for five days to get to safety. It was so sad to hear her stories and sit in her shelter where she has been for the past two years without any hope, at this point, of returning home because of the ongoing situation in the North of Mali.

We then visited a family where the son was severely disabled—he lay moaning in a fly covered, filthy mattress—his parents slowly flicking away flies that crowded round his dribbling mouth. The father, Oukata from the Bella, ethnic tuareg tribe, told us that it was 6pm in the village and he looked up from his home to see many of the other villagers just running out of their houses. He did not stop to ask questions he just grabbed his son Oukata Isa and ran—later on meeting up with his wife and then travelling together with his son tied to his back for five days to get to safety. Alassane tells us he is grateful to the Burkina Faso government for giving them safety but his wish is to return home and be back in his own lands and his country.

So, at the end of the day—I took time to reflect.

I came to hear and understand the stories of the refugees

I came to ask for peace.

I came to ask governments, aid agencies, individuals not to forget about the Malian refugees, there are still 167,000 of them between Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger.

I came to see if I can help to support refugees—this crisis is a forgotten one and the funding is only at 28% of what they really need.

In a world where we spend vast amounts of money on cosmetics, toys, electronics—and people here have nothing I find it hard to believe that if the rest of humanity saw their situation they would allow for this to carry on.

Please share my story for World Refugee Day. #WorldRefugeeDay

—Rokia Traoré

featuredimage
Rokia Traore with UNHCR in Burkina Faso for World Refugee Day 2014
  • Friday, June 20, 2014
    Rokia Traoré Speaks Out for World Refugee Day

    Rokia Traoré has joined the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at a refugee camp in Burkina Faso to meet and hear from those displaced by the troubles in her home country of Mali. In honor of today's World Refugee Day, Traoré wrote the following.

    Today is World Refugee Day and all around the world UN agencies and partner organisations are shining a spotlight onto the lives of refugees.

    I am Rokia Traore, a Malian singer, songwriter and perfomer and I have come to Goudoubo camp, Burkina Faso with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to listen to the stories of the Malian refugees who fled their country after a conflict in the North erupted back in early 2012. There are over 34,000 Malian refugees in Burkina Faso—most of whom fled from northern Mali.

    Being involved with the UN Refugee Agency feels simply like the right thing to do—to have an opportunity to shine a spotlight and help in whatever way I can is a natural reaction that all humankind has for each other.

    What makes this particular situation so right is that Mali is my home and I too have felt the impact of this crisis which forced me to also change my life—though not to the extent of the refugees. I remember listening to singers when I was performing with Africa Express in Manchester and the song went “When will I go back home” and being in tears as at that time I didn’t know if it would ever be possible to build my dreams as I imagined them before the crisis.

    It feels like am about to visit relatives who are in some sort of trouble—I find it unbearable to know the ongoing misery that affects so many of my people. I want to hear what people have to say and learn about what has happened to them and try to show that we are all one. I want to try to bring their voices to decision makers who can change their lives.

    We drive from Ougadougou to Dori, in northern Burkina Faso and I am greeted at the entrance to the refugee camp in Goudoubo by a line of elders and partner organisations. We walk slowly up the line shaking hands with everyone and suddenly am overcome—one man Mohammed reaches out and we hug—there was something so symbolic about this—I can’t explain. A linking of north and south and we immediately all felt more at ease—the whole group.

    We headed to a child’s safe play area where kids were singing and learning new songs. I couldn’t help myself when they handed me the doundou / drums and we jammed for a while with the kids echoing my words and everyone joining in. It felt good to us all to be able to sing and smile.

    We then visited Izata a 32 year old woman who had fled from Gao with her husband in 2012 . He had then returned to Mali and been killed. She is now on her own with just her two children—Aminata and Mohamed struggling to get by and deal with her grief and isolation. She tells us that she had been given everything we saw in her tattered shelter—the bedding, the mats, the pots, pans and even the clothes she was wearing as when they fled they had absolutely nothing on them and they had walked for five days to get to safety. It was so sad to hear her stories and sit in her shelter where she has been for the past two years without any hope, at this point, of returning home because of the ongoing situation in the North of Mali.

    We then visited a family where the son was severely disabled—he lay moaning in a fly covered, filthy mattress—his parents slowly flicking away flies that crowded round his dribbling mouth. The father, Oukata from the Bella, ethnic tuareg tribe, told us that it was 6pm in the village and he looked up from his home to see many of the other villagers just running out of their houses. He did not stop to ask questions he just grabbed his son Oukata Isa and ran—later on meeting up with his wife and then travelling together with his son tied to his back for five days to get to safety. Alassane tells us he is grateful to the Burkina Faso government for giving them safety but his wish is to return home and be back in his own lands and his country.

    So, at the end of the day—I took time to reflect.

    I came to hear and understand the stories of the refugees

    I came to ask for peace.

    I came to ask governments, aid agencies, individuals not to forget about the Malian refugees, there are still 167,000 of them between Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger.

    I came to see if I can help to support refugees—this crisis is a forgotten one and the funding is only at 28% of what they really need.

    In a world where we spend vast amounts of money on cosmetics, toys, electronics—and people here have nothing I find it hard to believe that if the rest of humanity saw their situation they would allow for this to carry on.

    Please share my story for World Refugee Day. #WorldRefugeeDay

    —Rokia Traoré

    Journal Articles:Artist NewsArtist Essays

Enjoy This Post?

Get weekly updates right in your inbox.
terms

X By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Thank you!
x

Welcome to Nonesuch's mailing list!

Customize your notifications for tour dates near your hometown, birthday wishes, or special discounts in our online store!
terms

By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Related Posts

  • Thursday, March 28, 2024
    Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The original cast album of Adam Guettel’s Broadway musical Days of Wine and Roses, with a book by Craig Lucas, starring Kelli O’Hara and Brian d’Arcy James, will be released on CD on May 17, following its recent digital release.  “Repeated listenings compound the amazement,” the New York Times says of Guettel’s work, which “has always offered that kind of challenge—initially leaving a feeling of: Beautiful, but wait, I need to hear it again—and those up for it have a way of coming away shining like Moses down from the Mount. The new score has the same effect.”

    Journal Topics: Album ReleaseArtist News
  • Wednesday, March 27, 2024
    Wednesday, March 27, 2024

    Cécile McLorin Salvant's acclaimed 2023 album, Mélusine, was released one year ago this week. To mark the occasion, we're sharing live performances of four songs from the album made at Oberlin College and Conservatory, starting with "Dites moi que je suis belle," featuring Weedie Braimah on djembe, followed by "Le temps est assassin" with Sullivan Fortner on piano and "Fenestra" and "Dame Iseut" with both Fortner and Braimah. You can watch it here.

    Journal Topics: Artist NewsVideo