Nicholas Donaldson
Campers at the Knox United Church camp at Sunny Cove were treated to a special guest speaker last Thursday morning.
Yahya Samatar, a refugee originally from Somalia, spoke to the group about his journey and what it means to be a refugee seeking safety in another country.
Samatar made national headlines in the summer of 2015 after swimming across the Red River and walking to Emerson, Man.
“I grew up in a very violent country,” Samatar told the group.
He explained that Somalia produces the third-most refugees of any country in the world and how people become refugees, including persecution for race, religion, or political opinions.
“I never had a peaceful government,” noted Samatar, who was an activist in Somalia for women’s rights, proper schooling, and fighting against corruption-leading him to be arrested several times.
“Finally I was forced to leave the country,” he said.
Samatar escaped the prison he was being held in and left Somalia on Aug. 6, 2014, making it to Canada on Aug. 4, 2015 after going through 12 countries over three continents to do so.
After first escaping Somalia, Samatar found a way to Brazil and thought he would stay there–until he met a group that was planning on heading to the United States.
Thinking that was a better idea, he began a journey to the U.S. that he said involved days of just walking for up to 12 hours.
When he reached the U.S., he became an asylum-seeker and was arrested, spending the next eight months in prison seeking refugee status, which eventually was denied because he lacked the proper documentation to prove he was persecuted.
He later was released from prison to wait to be sent back to Somalia. But knowing he might be killed if sent back, he decided to try to reach Canada.
Samatar got a ride to the border between North Dakota and Manitoba, but was left on his own to try and cross it.
“I just knew I was heading north and if I kept walking, I would reach Canada,” he recalled.
One night he came upon the Red River. After spending hours trying to get across some other way, he decided that swimming was his only chance of doing so before the sun rose.
“I took off my clothes, left my things behind, and at five in the morning I jumped into the river,” Samatar told the campers.
“When I was swimming in the river, I was thinking about how to be safe from crocodiles,” he laughed.
He reached the other side and walked for about 45 minutes, where someone found him and asked if he could help.
“That’s when I thought maybe this place could be different,” Samatar said.
Although he told people he was trying to get to a Somali community in Toronto, he was taken to a refugee shelter in Winnipeg and helped out there.
He now lives in Winnipeg, where he is working to bring his wife and four children over to Canada, noting he hasn’t even met his youngest son because he was born while Samatar was in the U.S. prison.
When he was finished his story, the youngsters were able to ask Samatar questions–an opportunity they used to learn more about his family, his language, his journey, and his experiences with snow.
“When it first snowed, I thought everything would shut down. No school, no work, no anything,” he laughed, adding he had to be forced outside after his first snowfall.
Samatar thanked the camp organizers for allowing him to speak to the children, and pointed out the warmth and kindness he has received since arriving in Canada.
