WEBSITE (VOICE): Rohingya activists, advocates and health organizations in Australia have been frustrated by the lack of support for displaced Rohingya.
This ethnic minority group called Myanmar home for centuries before being declared stateless by the government in 1982, persecuted due to both race and religion of the Muslim majority.
Read more: The Rohingya demand an end to the violence and a safe return to Myanmar
While hundreds of Rohinhya refugees have resettled in Australia since 2008, at least a million continue to live in desperate circumstances in the world’s largest refugee camp: Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. There are many horrifying stories of displaced Rohingya facing physical and sexual violence as well as poor health conditions.
In August, the Australian Refugee Council panel called on the government to remain steadfast in its 2023 commitment to increase resettlement places and provide aid to those still living in camps, but we Still haven’t seen any substantive action.
As a result, local advocates are turning to more creative ways to raise awareness, such as organizing events focusing on Rohingya art, culture and resistance. These projects help strengthen local Rohingya communities, while also educating the public.
For my research, I investigated how activist groups use creativity and fun to encourage broader participation in their efforts.
This work brought me to local Rohingya community members and their allies at the Creative Advocacy Partnership, (co-founded by four Australians with Rohingya community leaders) . They told me that traditional support can increase feelings of oppression and “bothering.”
Through interviews with them, I found that creative advocacy projects can serve a number of empowering purposes, including cultural preservation (and cultural upliftment through suffering), respect honor ancestors and balance the power dynamic between relief workers and displaced people.
Last year, Creative Advocacy Association co-founders Tasman Munro and Arunn Jegan (also emergency coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières) traveled to Cox’s Bazar to create works of art in collaboration with Rohingya artists, children and storytellers. One result is a sculpted bamboo story based on Rohingya folk tales.
Munro described the experience to me:
we sat with [Rohingya creators] Nuru Salam and Nurus Safar, in the front room of their shelter and talking about the project. We look at each other’s work, discuss what tools we need, how much time we have, and how flexible bamboo is. […] there was a common language and understanding. Over two weeks, we had the opportunity to work together, learn about the artistic process of plucking bamboo, learn about sugarcane glass making techniques, listen to Rohingya folk tales, and collaborate with talented children to Design and make story boards.
This project was shared again on Gadigal land in an exhibition curated by the Creative Advocacy Association, Médecins Sans Frontières and Rohingya youth leader Asma Nayim Ullah. It offers ways to address both the refugee crisis and Rohingya culture through photo exhibitions, film screenings, and live video calls set up with Jegan, who remains stationed in Cox’s Bazar, and a narrator Rohingya story named Rezwan.
A delicious meal cooked by the Australian Rohingya Women’s Development Organization. The deep connection between both places is clear to see.
Jegan recognized the difference between traditional advocacy methods (such as focus groups or medical rounds in refugee camps) and arts-focused projects. He is passionate about changing the dynamics of aid so that local voices are heard and disadvantage no longer exists.
He says that, beyond these creative approaches, he has noticed the dynamics that cause aid workers to be valued more than the disenfranchised communities they serve:
For me, art is ‘the great leveler’. It positions the community as experts, with their skills and abilities in focus, as well as their stories and circumstances and told through them, rather than simply through their misery. suffering, illness or their role in using the service (usage). I found that by using art, I created a stronger, more equal relationship.
Here in Gadigal, prominent Rohingya activist and co-founder/director of the Maìyafuìnor Rohingya Cooperation Network, Noor Azizah, told me that millions of Rohingya continue to face the same hardships. pole:
Of the 2.8 million Rohingya worldwide, only 1% live freely while 99% remain in refugee camps, hiding, in exile or trapped in Arakan, Burma. Cox’s Bazar alone has hosted nearly a million Rohingya refugees and the situation there remains dire. We need to ensure their voices are heard because this protracted crisis is preventing the Rohingya from thriving.
In August, to mark the seventh anniversary of the mass exodus of Rohingya from Myanmar in 2017, Azizah co-hosted an event called Rohingya Social. She describes it as one
an opportunity to amplify voices and remind people that the fight for dignity, rights and justice continues for displaced people.
The public is invited to share in celebrating the food, culture and survival of the Rohingya people through an authentic three-course meal. The event featured stories from survivors and workers of Médecins Sans Frontières, poetry from a local Grade 11 student and colorful paper decorations created by displaced Rohingya children in Malaysia.
Read more: Bangladesh will not accept any more Rohingya refugees: Minister
The night was filled with generosity of spirit. As Azizah wrote on her social media:
Cooking Rohingya food for family and friends is more than just preparing a meal. It’s about honoring our ancestors who passed down these recipes, supporting people in need, and preserving our culture despite the challenges we face. face.