Sayed Jawid never had been a refugee and never had to live in a small tent. “I always lived with my family in a large and relatively good house. But today I went into such a tent the returnees are living in and what I could feel was the pain and difficulty of being refugee, I experienced it directly. Yet I think the problems of refugees are beyond home or food. I assume they feel that they are lost between two worlds, between the place where they are coming from and the the country they want to settle there. They are living in absolute uncertainty. No one likes them even when they return to their country.”
The figurative tents were initiated by Kabuls Socio-Cultural Container on Qurigh hilltop where people gathered for Sizda Bedar (Thirteen Out-door) festival. Qurigh hilltop is located in southeastern part of the Kabul city, where in the spring season, a large number of people go there for hiking and picnic. Kabul Container conducted the event under the name of “Few Moments Experience of Being Refugee” to let people know about the difficulties of refugees and returnees who are living in refugee camps. The tents were decorated in a way to reflect the live of refugees. Many people volunteered to get inside the tents but when they got out, everyone was looking sad and distracted. They expressed their feeling about what they experienced inside the tents.
Nasir one of the volunteers said “It was a difficult moment for me when I got inside the tent; I thought I am a refugee, far from home, family, friends, relatives and my country, where no one knows me and no one trusts me. I felt I am lost. When you are in such situation, you understand suddenly how dear everything you have to put behind when leaving is. This is especially true when people are forced to leave for an uncertain destiny. When I came out of tent, I decided never to leave my country. I also had considered leaving the country, but this is no longer an option for me I want to live as long as it is possible in Afghanistan. I rarely thought about the problems of returnees living the camps or people who are displaced by force due to war and insecurity. I feel that we as a citizen we all are responsible for them, even if the government and humanitarian organizations can’t handle it.” He said.
