On May 21, 2023, the REF-ARAB project cordially invites you to the release event of a graphic novel focusing on the situation of Sudanese refugees in Lebanon.
Stories of Sudanese refugees in Lebanon
Lebanon has long been a destination for persecuted Sudanese who seek access to the protection, aid, and resettlement services of UNHCR.
Their situation has, however, continuously been overshadowed by humanitarian emergency responses targeting refugee groups deemed to have greater political interest. Unable to meet the requirements needed to obtain Lebanese residency permits, most protection seekers reside irregularly in the country and are vulnerable to arbitrary arrest, detention, and deportation to Sudan.
Across the globe, refugees and asylum seekers have sought to challenge the power relations embedded within the international refugee regime. Sudanese protection seekers in Lebanon are no different, aspiring to defy ingrained inequalities within the broader humanitarian system. In Beirut, they have loudly pushed for agendas defined by, and for, themselves. The novel depicts these struggles.
Building on ethnographic research
REF-ARAB PI Maja Janmyr has worked together with a team of writers, illustrators and designers to create a graphic novel inspired by the Sudanese protection seekers’ perspectives.
In addition to Janmyr, the team consists of Yazan al-Saadi, Omar Khouri, Noémie Honein, Anthony Hanna, Sirène Moukheiber, Chloé Benoist, Wini Omer, Farah Fayyad, Layal Khatib and K., a Sudanese refugee.
While the characters and events are fictional, the depictions of life as a refugee protester draw on extensive ethnographic research carried out with Sudanese protection seekers in Beirut between 2015 and 2021.
Program
The release event will take place at 4pm on May 21, 2023 at Chalet Suisse in Beirut.
4pm – Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
5pm – Welcome by Maja Janmyr and Stephanie Chettiar (Migrant Community Center).
5:15pm – Panel discussion with writer Yazan al-Saadi, illustrator Omar Khouri, co-founder of Sawiyan Dina Baslan, and writer Hiba Farajallah. Testimonies by Sudanese activists.
6pm – Mingling. Snacks and soft drinks will be served, and DJ Atef will entertain.