Feature illustration: Jon Trace
What is it like to leave your country of origin and go to a strange, faraway land to find safety? How do you feel about your new city and what kind of welcome do you receive? How long does the label ‘refugee’ remain stamped on your identity? Do you choose to embrace it? When does Bristol really become home?
In this audio documentary against the backdrop of Bristol as a City of Sanctuary, Sam Sayer explores these questions with refugees who have settled in Bristol over the past 50 years from Ukraine, Iran, Kenya, Chile and Uganda share their early experiences of Bristol life.
The audio documentary begins with the newest of refugees, Diana and Jennie, who have recently arrived from Ukraine and are getting used to waking up to English voices. Adineh and Siavash from Iran have unexpectedly found new family here in Bristol to support them. JP from Kenya is a huge football fan and watching the game with others has become an important feature of his life. Luis and Carmen from Chile found lasting friendship through their children’s school, while Rashid from Uganda discovered home through his shop’s customers.
Keep the Lights On
Investigative journalism strengthens democracy – it’s a necessity, not a luxury.
The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,600 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.
We are on a mission to become sustainable – will you help us get there?
Comments
Related content
From city of sanctuary to ‘city of opportunity’ – how Bristol can better integrate refugees
Asylum seekers and refugees should be thought of as ‘citizens-in-waiting’, people with rights, skills and potential, a new report argues. Instead, many people at the sharp end of the system feel shut out of contributing to society.
‘The Illegal Migration Bill is not only deeply cruel. But also a shameless attempt to embolden extremism.’
Bristol Refugee Rights, who see first-hand the hardship that asylum seekers are already put through, slam the Illegal Migration Bill as a cynical attempt to inflame anti-immigration feeling in order to win the next election.
‘People are still here, and they are thriving’: how a local network has stepped up for asylum seekers
Since 2008, Bristol Hospitality Network has hosted nearly 250 asylum seekers at risk of destitution. As co-founder Rachael Bee steps down, we look back at her legacy and what has changed for people seeking refuge in the city.
‘I’m not taking any more asylum seekers’: Stagecoach ‘urgently’ investigating discrimination claims
Asylum seekers who are being temporarily housed at a remote Holiday Inn near Bristol Airport have complained of racial discrimination at the hands of bus drivers on the one route connecting them to the city.
