News / Bristol
‘I hope others will receive the same welcome as us in Bristol’
In the second part of a short series to celebrate the Bristol Refugee Festival, Bristol24/7 reveals the true stories of some of the city’s refugees and asylum seekers.
Nathalie Jaifar’s father was a political refugee from Iraq and his experiences have shaped who she is and her decision to give back to the city she now calls home.
“My father opposed Saddam’s regime and would have been executed if he had stayed, because he spoke up against discrimination and repression. He spoke out for equal rights,” says Nathalie, 34.
is needed now More than ever
Nathalie says being a second generation refugee has played a big part in shaping her life
He fled to France in the 1980s, where he met her mother and, as a family, they moved to the UK when Nathalie was just eight years old. They were reunited with other members of her dad’s family who had escaped genocide during the Iraq-Iran war.
“It was a bit frightening coming here for the first time and especially leaving friends behind. There weren’t any other Kurdish families in Bristol at the time. We came here not speaking a word of English but learned quickly. We needed to adapt, it was a big change but a good one,” she remembers
“I was the only person in school who did not speak English but it was a multi-ethnic school.
“My father was a refugee because of his political activity and my uncles were deserters from the army. All my family are against armed conflict and the killing of innocent people.”
Nathalie said it is partly because of her dispersed family that even she, as the next generation, defines herself as a woman with multiple homelands.
“ It’s one part of your identity,” she says. “I grew up with so many stories. I also watched some of my family members going through trauma and the effects of having to restart your life in new country. For a long time my grandfather used to run into the house every time a passenger plane flew past.
“I always felt I belonged in Bristol. I won’t pretend I’ve never encountered racism and discrimination because I have, but on the whole it’s a welcoming city.”
Each well qualified in their own right, both of her parents found their qualifications were not recognised in the UK and they had to re-train.
Despite the obstacles they faced, everyone in the family found jobs and Nathalie’s dad now works as an interpreter with a charity that offers support to others who have faced trauma. Nathalie herself works for with refugees who have fled places of conflict to rebuild their lives.
“I think we must offer sanctuary to refugees, but also give them the confidence to participate actively in the city,” she says. “I do not think they should be made to feel ashamed because it’s not their fault they are in this situation. They need to have the opportunities to contribute their skills to Bristol.
“I think there is empathy in Bristol, but of course there is still lack of understanding that people don’t chose to be refugees and come here by force and not out of choice.”
“I hope that others will receive the same welcome as us but we are going through a difficult time with more forces trying to divide than unite us.”
“We need to be reminded that the earth belongs to no-one and will still be here long after we have left.”
Read more: ‘The asylum process makes you feel insecure each day’
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