Rohingya

If this TED could talk

by andrewkooman on November 29, 2011

It was a privilege to be part of the first ever TEDx event in Red Deer this year.  The event was all about connections and there was a great line up of speakers. Here’s my talk, followed by a reading from She Has A Name, a scene where JASON has a Skype conversation with his [...]

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A Better Country – A Ticket Home

by andrewkooman on November 3, 2010

The next group of Vietnamese detainees were more fortunate.  Ellen had tickets for ten of the eleven.  Seven men and three women.  The lone unfortunate was a few weeks away from being given the same good news.  Ellen tenderly touched his cheek and told him to be strong as he waited patiently for release.  A [...]

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A Better Country – The Horrible Drudgery of Detention

by andrewkooman on October 27, 2010

The first group of Vietnamese men marched from their block two by two.  Handcuffed in pairs, free arms holding the shoulder of the detainee in front of them, heads down.  They entered the small building, sat in two neat rows, cross legged, leaning against each other.  Seven in total.  They were all young.  Haggard and [...]

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A Better Country – Undocumented Migrants Detained by Immigration

by andrewkooman on October 20, 2010

The Detention Centre we visited is tucked away in a small town, about an hour and a half drive from the main city where we met.  We drove through the rain, a down pour of tremendous rain drops that threw themselves against the windshield with incredible force.  Ellen drove her small Proton at a casual [...]

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A Better Country – The Impossible Choices of Refugees

by andrewkooman on October 13, 2010

Change Noor’s name – he has done so himself – to another.  Make it Hashim, or Ishmael.  The names change but the stories have similar strands.  Yet the threads that tie the stories together are not rich in hue: golds, emeralds, reds, weaving together a beautiful coat of colour.  They are more like the clear [...]

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A Better Country – Refugees Hiding in Malaysia’s Jungle

by andrewkooman on October 6, 2010

He had no reason to lie to us.  The tears on his face said it all.  They appeared suddenly, streamed clear lines on his dark skin.  The first, the only tears I saw during my time meeting with refugees in Malaysia, listening to their stories of survival, of exile, of suffering and displacement.  Tears precious [...]

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My Words in Dutch + Swedish

by andrewkooman on June 28, 2010

I was pretty excited today to get two different packages in the mail.  The first was the Swedish translation of the new issue of Eye See Magazine, which is a social justice-focused magazine based out of Colorado.  Published into English and Swedish each issue, it is distributed in seven countries.  This particular issue features one [...]

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Consultations with Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

by andrewkooman on April 28, 2010

I’m finding in the UNHCR very valuable resources re: refugees.  I’m currently working on a few articles that will appear in YWAM Publishing’s 2011 yearly day planner.  One article examines the accounts of Rohingya (a Muslim people group from Burma) refugees in Bangladesh refugee camps. The reports are U.N.F.A.T.H.O.M.A.B.L.E. They include pictures children and adults [...]

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