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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE January 18, 2007
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| May 4, 2006 |
Aqaba, Jordan – Visiting the Ba’qaa Refugee Camp |
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| The unfinished rooftops of BaQa'a Camp. |
When you come over the hill from the bustling, modern city of Amman, you don’t see a city of tents and campfires. When you drive through the streets of the Baqa'a Refugee camp, you don’t see sick people lying by the side of the road, or shacks made of corrugated steel and scraps extending into the distance. The camp, the largest in Jordan or the Middle East with 100,000 people, was built in 1968 to house refugees from Isreal’s second expansion into Palestinian lands. It was more like the stereotypical image of a refugee camp then, built hastily to house 100,000 people fleeing violence in their homelands. “The tents were not warm enough against the wind and the cold of winter,” shared Ibrahim Joseph at the discussion held on the second day of the tour. “When it rained, they would fall; our children’s bare feet stuck in the mud.” |
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| With no playgrounds or parks available in the refugee camp, the children played late into the night on the narrow streets. |
120 Peace Boat participants, including 30 Global University students, visited the camp on April 30th, “to meet Palestinian people, and to learn about their situation firsthand,” said Global English Teacher Levi Jacobs during a discussion on the first day. After the discussion, held at Ayanmuk community center, participants took a walking tour of the camp, and visited a few schools in the area, one of them built by the Japanese government. What strikes a person walking through the camp is the lack of plant life and space. The streets are sloping, narrow dirt roads between adjoining concrete houses, discolored with time, with newer additions built on older roofs, as families grew and needed space. The second thing that strikes you is the children: children everywhere. Many families participants visited had 10 children or more. They play in the streets, with piles of garbage and stray cats. Residents of the camp told stories of families of 10 or more sharing a single room. When asked how they had made the change from temporary shelters to what participants saw, one of the Palestinian men replied, “We gave all of our money to the education of our children, so that they could leave the camps, prosper, and send that money back to help us.” He wore the traditional red head scarf, and long gray robes. “When they made money, they built us a house, the necessity. We still don’t know luxury.” |
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| Participants taught the children who to put on the Japanese summer kimono. |
After touring the camp and playing sports with children, participants took part in a cultural exchange, with traditional dance and song by the refugees, and taiko drumming, and a performance of the traditional song ‘furusato’ by participants. During this time participants also had fun meeting people from the camp, playing with children and doing their best to communicate with them. One Palestinian man, Ismail Suboh shared that his daughter had married a Palestinian man, and left the camp to live with him in Palestine. “I haven’t seen her for seven years,” he said. “I have four grandchildren whom I’ve never met, two boys and two girls. I have only their pictures.” Because of strict border controls around Israel, his daughter is unable to come back and visit. |
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| Since the second Intifada, Ismail Suboh hasn't seen his daughter and grandchildren living in Palestine. |
After the exchange, 70 participants stayed to do a homestay with a family in the camp. Reports were mixed, but everyone had an enjoyable time with their family, sharing the traditional strong, sweet coffee and tea, and an evening meal together. Most participants slept in the family’s guest room, a special room with cushions lining the four walls, in which guests are usually entertained. Because of Islamic culture, many female participants had to sleep separately from males staying with the same family. Everyone commented on how kind and friendly their families were, and how delicious the food was. |
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| Participants pose with their host family after staying the night. |
In the morning, participants shared breakfast with their families before returning to the Ayanmuk community center for a question-and-answer session with people from the refugee community. They had a chance to hear about the Palestinians’ experiences during the displacement of 1967. “We had no weapons,” said Taman Hamed. “We were simple farmers. They came with weapons, they killed us at home, and at prayer. We escaped naked, with nothing.” The King of Jordan granted all refugees full citizenship, and since coming to the camp, many have been able to prosper and leave the camp to become part of life in Jordan. Yousef Muhmoud, a host father, has worked for UNRWA as a teacher for 38 years, saving his money. He told Global University students Asuka Fujiwara and Nana Nakajima he had saved enough money in that time to build a house in Amman, and after retiring in June of this year, he planned to build it and move his family there, out of the camp. Other refugees continue to dream of returning to Palestine. “I only want to return to my home, and to live together with Palestinians,” said Hassam Shoumon during the session. “I only want what I had back.” |
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| On the second day, a group of First Generation Palestinians Refugees talk about the transitions they had to make after the Israeli occupation. |
After visiting the camp and staying with people there, participants were able to understand the complex issue of the Palestinians on a personal level, and to connect with the people living there. The refugees have come a long way from the canvas tents of 1968, but leaving the camp and reflecting on their experiences, participants could appreciate how much further refugees have to go to find peace.
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