Reports from Amman Jordan
by Samah Sabawi
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XIII - Twist of Fate Stories from the camps |
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November 15, 2004 Amman, Jordan It was in October1967 that a very courageous woman, with a baby wrapped in a blanket and three older children, made the difficult decision to leave Gaza, the only home she had ever known, to try to find her husband who was chased out by the Israeli army only days after she had given birth. The baby in the blanket was me, and my mother laughs when I describe her as courageous. She prefers I use the word desperate. What else was she to do? She knew that Israel would never allow my father to return to Gaza, so she was determined to find him in Amman. It was here in Amman that our journey in exile began and it was on this soil that I took my first steps. Had it not been for my father’s hard work and ambition my fate could have been the same as that of the 1,460,280 refugees who still dwell in the refugee camps here, and who suffer from extreme and cruel poverty. These are the people who would feel fortunate if they were forgotten, for they are only remembered when Israel wages its common campaigns to stop their only international life line, UNRWA, from operating. These are the people who are excluded from peace treaties and who are considered a security threat. These are the people who were driven from their homes and their land, and were sentenced to a lifetime of degradation. Today the refugee camps are places that people I meet in cafes whisper about with a shudder. No one likes the idea of visiting the camps or of dealing with people from the camps. They seem to be a threat not only to international peace, but to peace of mind. It is better they are left forgotten so we can enjoy our lives guilt free. I want to bring to life in this diary some of the ordinary faces and stories from the camps, and the experiences of the courageous and tireless men and women who have refused to forget them. Theirs are tales of deprivation, failure, triumph and generosity - the history of a people who must not be forgotten. Inshirah I'll begin with my cleaning lady, Inshirah. Her family was terrorized out of their village in Palestine in 1948 and they were among the first wave of refugees to arrive in Amman. Inshirah was born 25 years ago in the Wihdat camp, home to 44,395 refugees. She doesn’t know much about her family home in Palestine, only the twinkle in her father’s eyes when he remembers. Inshirah's memories begin with Wihdat camp and she doesn’t dare dream of life beyond it. She is already twice divorced, a single mother of three children born of two failed marriages.  The social structure in
the camps is in sad disarray. Economic
hardships and overcrowding has made life difficult and what once was
sacred in
Palestinian society - family, unity, generosity - has been cast aside
in the daily
struggle to find bread. Both of Inshirah’s former husbands were unemployed, and if it weren’t for her own industrious nature her children might have starved to death. Today, she lives in an apartment that she rents for the equivalent of CDN$60 per month. When I asked if her home is warm in winter she laughed at my naivete, and then explained that her roof is made of zinc which fails to keep out the rain let alone the cold. Inshirah offers me a glimpse of what to expect when I visit the camps. Each day, when she leaves to go home, she takes with her every crumb, every left over, every discarded toy. Even my empty shampoo bottles she takes and fills with water to make use of every last bit of residue. She has no appliances or furniture in her home, only a small kerosene stove that has left burn marks on her face. Despite all this, it doesn’t take much to make her shine with happiness. Just ask about her children and a wide smile wipes away all traces of her miserable life. Inshirah is not a special case; she is the average Palestinian refugee. She could have been me...and I could have been Inshirah. Coming Next: Photo Story from Wihdat Camp Samah
Sabawi, originally from
Gaza
and whose permanent residence is now
Ottawa, is a writer, playwright and well-known activist. Her articles
appear in several popular online journals. Her Palestinian Diary
is exclusive to YayaCanada.
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