The harsh life in Hagadera Refugee Camp

Farah Osman Hilowle

The harsh life in Hagadera Refugee Camp

  1. Walking in Hagadera is very uncomfortable since Hagadera is a sandy place.
  2. The climate in Hagadera is not favorable because geographically the equator passes in Hagadera.
  3. Fetching water from the taps is very hard. This because the means of transporting water are not available so this forces people to fetch the water either on the back for women and hauling in hand for men.
  4. All the pupils in Hagadera go to school on foot because vehicles are not available and the residents cannot afford to buy them.
  5. Hagadera has a very wide and deep lake that the children in the camp who are experienced in swimming die instantly and this results in less offspring. On the other hand, people living in the forest nearby come to the lake to water their animals since they are pastoralists.
  6. Poor infrastructure. This is because pedestrians and drivers use the same roads hence resulting accidents.
  7. People living in Hagadera should be given resettlement.

Mother

Mother mother can I do for you!
How can I reward you!
You carried me in your womb!
You delivered me with all sorts of pain!
You breast fed me without any force!
Mum! Mum! How can I reward you!

You woke up at midnight
To breast feed me.
Dad in a deep slumber
Snoring snoring the hard way.

Happening Now

  • In addition to becoming the Berlin LitFest’s first curator-in-residence, Helon Habila has also just received Kaduna Books and Art Festival’s KabaFest Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating his "exceptional writing and significant contributions to the development of literature globally."

  • Congratulations to Enah Johnscott, whose film Half Heaven won three awards at the Cameroon International Film Festival—best film, best director, and best cinematographer.

  • We regret the passing, on April 11, 2024, of the distinguished Romanian author and critic Dan Cristea, who served as the editor in chief of the Luceafărul de Dimineață cultural monthly. In addition to being an alum of the 1985 Fall Residency, Cristea received his PhD in Comparative Literature at the University of Iowa.

  • Our congratulations to 1986 Fall Residency writer Kwame Dawes, who has been named the new poet laureate of Jamaica.

  • Congratulations to our colleagues Jennifer Croft and Aron Aji, who are among those serving as judges for the National Book Awards this year, in their case in the category of translated literature.

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