Monday, December 26, 2022

December 26, 2022: A family from South Sudan / Rerun: December 26, 2006: "Nothing to Say in Black and White"


Local friends of mine have made their downstairs apartment a temporary home for a Muslim refugee family of five from South Sudan.  The family arrived here at midnight on December 3.  My friends had been told that the family spoke Arabic and had arranged for a local man to act as translator for them.  It turns out that the family speaks Swahili.  They do not read or write in any language.  Google translate has given them all the ability to communicate, albeit slowly.  The parents and oldest child, a 12-year-old boy, had been in a refugee camp for ten years.  The two sisters were born in the refugee camp.  On Wednesday, I will meet and draw with the children while the parents are being helped to sign up for English language classes.  I'm going to bring one of my autoharps.  Art and music are universal languages.  My friends, in their early 70s now, have made their downstairs apartment available for numerous refugees and people needing shelter in the seven years I have known them.  The intriguing drawing above was made this week by the middle child, a 10-year-old girl.  

*


"Nothing to Say in Black and White" (drawing from 1982)


4 comments:

NewRobin13 said...

I love that your friends have made a home for a refugee family. That is such a beautiful act of love and kindness. I also love that you are going to meet them and play music for them. Thank you for that, am.

Pixie said...

I can't imagine spending ten years in limbo; it sounds like hell. Glad that they have landed in a safe place.

Colette said...

What a beautiful kindness.

Anonymous said...

Your kindness, generosity and compassion are always on display in your words, images, art, and actions. I can almost feel the joy of the children as they color and play the autoharp. Thank you for sharing and for being there with the family and your friends.