Sharing the voices of young refugees

A personal story of life in a Tanzanian refugee camp has won 17-year-old Burundian Emile Ntahogwisiga the Talk with Me! creative writing competition.

Governor General, Anand Satyanand, announced the two winners of this year’s Talk with Me! national creative writing and arts competition for secondary students at an awards ceremony in Wellington.

The winner of the creative art category, Alexandra Blackwood, is a NZ-born student attending Woodford House in Hawkes Bay. Her drawing A Place to call … home? was inspired by the life of a friend from Somalia.

Talk with Me! seeks to increase young NZers knowledge and understanding of the lives of refugees through stories and art.

The competition, organised by the Petone Settlers Museum in partnership with the Department of Labour, was launched on World Refugee Day which is commemorated around the world on 20th June each year.

In a deeply personal essay, Emile shares the difficulties and hardships he and his family experienced while living in a Tanzanian refugee camp.

“Do you know how it feels to spend a day without any food? I know. I know how eyes start to change and you no longer can see because of hunger. I know how other kids call you to play with them and you cannot because of the hunger.”

Emile now lives in Auckland, where he attends Birkenhead College. He says, “What I would love in my lifetime is to see countries like NZ that have a good heart, keep looking after those who cannot look after themselves. In that way, the earth will be a happy place to live.”

Art category winner Alexandra Blackwood says, “This competition made me think about how we view students and friends who are refugees and have life experiences different than our own.”

‘A place to call home’ was the theme for both the writing and art competition to focus on the right to protection and a safe place to call home. About 20 million people worldwide have been uprooted by violence or live without material, social and legal protection.