Maisa, 19.
“Once a lady came up to me in the street and said, ‘I saw you in the papers! You are in the refugee choir!’ It felt good to be famous, but bad too – because I was famous as a refugee. I don’t want to be a refugee. I want to be Maisa!”
With a Syrian father and a Lebanese mother, Maisa grew up between Beirut and Homs. She was studying in Beirut when war erupted and travel back to Homs became impossible. As fighting escalated, and increasing numbers of Syrians flooded into Lebanon, Maisa and her family began to experience increasing anti-Syrian sentiment, she says. “Friends and neighbours suddenly turned against us as we were Syrian, blaming us for all the economic problems in the country. Suddenly, I just became seen as a ‘refugee’ and a burden.”
In 2014, the family was selected by UNHCR for relocation to Germany so that Maisa’s father, who was suffering from cancer, could receive specialist treatment. But just a month before they were due to fly, he suddenly died. “Somehow the offer to come to Germany was still open, so after burying him in Beirut, we flew to Europe.”
Today, Maisa sees her future in Germany – a decision she has made with her head, not her heart. Living in a small village where she has struggled to get to know her neighbours, her loneliness and homesickness are often unbearable. But she is determined to step out beyond her refugee identity. “Once my German is better, I’ll work as a translator. I’ll take music lessons and become professional! I’ll be an artist and my art will explore peace. It’s hard living so far from home, but ultimately, I know my life will be better here.”
(words by Katie Welsford and Emma Pearson)
Germany 2015
“Once a lady came up to me in the street and said, ‘I saw you in the papers! You are in the refugee choir!’ It felt good to be famous, but bad too – because I was famous as a refugee. I don’t want to be a refugee. I want to be Maisa!”
With a Syrian father and a Lebanese mother, Maisa grew up between Beirut and Homs. She was studying in Beirut when war erupted and travel back to Homs became impossible. As fighting escalated, and increasing numbers of Syrians flooded into Lebanon, Maisa and her family began to experience increasing anti-Syrian sentiment, she says. “Friends and neighbours suddenly turned against us as we were Syrian, blaming us for all the economic problems in the country. Suddenly, I just became seen as a ‘refugee’ and a burden.”
In 2014, the family was selected by UNHCR for relocation to Germany so that Maisa’s father, who was suffering from cancer, could receive specialist treatment. But just a month before they were due to fly, he suddenly died. “Somehow the offer to come to Germany was still open, so after burying him in Beirut, we flew to Europe.”
Today, Maisa sees her future in Germany – a decision she has made with her head, not her heart. Living in a small village where she has struggled to get to know her neighbours, her loneliness and homesickness are often unbearable. But she is determined to step out beyond her refugee identity. “Once my German is better, I’ll work as a translator. I’ll take music lessons and become professional! I’ll be an artist and my art will explore peace. It’s hard living so far from home, but ultimately, I know my life will be better here.”
(words by Katie Welsford and Emma Pearson)
Germany 2015