ACCORDING to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of prosecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion”.
There has been a recent backlash against refugees in our country lately, and that is mostly due to fears arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and also paranoia that generally stems from locals who are wary of anyone they deem different from them.
Nonetheless, this article is not about politics and paranoia. Sometimes we need to take a look at them and remind ourselves that they are human beings, and we should treat them the same way we would like others to treat us if we were in their position.
Just remember, no one leaves their home and travels hundreds of miles on foot, in overloaded cars or trucks or by boat across the sea to live in squalid camps for fun.
Everyone needs a chance at a new beginning. With activists like Heidi Quah, Mahi Ramakrishnan and Deborah Priya Henry doing more than their fair share to educate and fight for their rights in society (and getting threatened on social media for it, which happened to Quah recently), there are many Malaysians who do try to help where they can.
However refugees are often lumped together with illegal immigrants, and often face the scorn of society who fail to see them as victims of oppression.
Remember, one of the most high profile refugee is the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso who was forced to leave Tibet in 1959, and has been living in exile in Dharamsala in northern India ever since.
Albert Einstein was forced to leave Germany for the US when Nazism started taking hold in the 1930s, while famous authors Victor Hugo and Isabel Allende were forced to leave France and Chile respectively due to politics.
There are numerous other scientists, artists and captains of industry who started out as refugees. It just goes to show that anyone is capable of great things if given the chance.
Here are some famous entertainers who were refugees:
Marlene Dietrich: An actress and fashion icon, she sought refuge in the US from Nazi Germany. The star of Morocco and Shanghai Express may not have been the greatest actress in the world, but there is no doubt the camera adored her.
Freddie Mercury: Born Farrokh Bulsara, this legendary lead singer of British rock band Queen fled with his family from Zanzibar during the 1964 revolution and spent a few years in India before settling down in England. His story was immortalised in the 2018 hit movie Bohemian Rhapsody which earned lead actor Rami Malek the Best Actor Oscar.
Wycleaf Jean: Musician and former member of Fugees, Jean and his family moved to the US from Haiti when he was nine years old.
Omid Djalili: This actor and comedian is a refugee from Iran. He has appeared in several movies including Sex and the City 2, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and The Mummy.
M.I.A: Singer/ hip-hop artiste/ visual artiste/ music producer and activist Mathangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasam was born in England to Tamil Sri Lankan refugee parents. She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) last year.
Mika: Born Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr, this pop singer and his family fled from Lebonan to the UK. He has also been the judge/mentor of the French edition of The Voice and the Italian version of The X Factor. He also starred in his own Italian reality show.
Rita Ora: Ora was a baby when her family fled from Kosovo to the UK. A successful singer, she has also starred in films such as Fifty Shades of Grey and was judge/mentor on The Voice UK and the host of the revamped America’s Next Top Model.
Mila Kunis: She came to the US from Ukraine with her parents in 1991 on a religious refugee visa. She shot to fame in That 70s Show and went on to star in a string of hit movies including Black Swan and Bad Moms. She is married to her That 70s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher.
K’Naan: Keinan Abdi Warsame is a poet, rapper, singer and songwriter whose family escaped civil war in Somalia and came to New York when he was 13. Known for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Anthem Wavin’ Flag, he is also a philanthropist.
