Refugee Witness
Sabir Zazai

War was my witness when I was deprived of my livelihood;

Conflict was my witness when it stole my childhood;

Poverty was my witness when my dreams were destroyed;

I was judged, when I finally found safety;

Disbelief was my witness when it destroyed my story;

Destitution was my witness when it undermined my dignity;

Detention was my witness when I was put in shadows;

Discrimination was my witness when it damaged my confidence;

Along the way, humanity was my witness when fellow human beings held my hand;

Community was my witness when it stood for my rights;

Society was my witness when it gave me a chance;

Through this journey from stranger into a citizen, I fell at many steps;

But at every step courage was my witness when I got up, dust off and carried on.

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Sabir Zazai is a former refugee from Afghanistan who now leads the Scottish Refugee Council. Sabir’s early education was interrupted by the war in Afghanistan, when he was internally displaced with his family when he was still at primary education. However, his resilience, hope and a strong desire for education helped him to graduate from Coventry University with a degree in Human Resources Management, and a Masters in Community Cohesion Management. Recently he was conferred with a Honorary Doctorate at the University of Glasgow for services to community, and received the Lord Provost award for human rights. Sabir is now Honorary President of City of Sanctuary and a Visiting Practice Fellow at the Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University.

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