‘I found kindness everywhere’
Habib Rezaie: “My name is Habib. I'm from Afghanistan. I don't know how I ended up in the Midlands but I'm glad that I came here. I've spent, like, years here, building relationships with different people. But if I had to leave, I would lose everything. Again.
I lost all my family. By the time I was 14, it was just me and my brother. I remember him always saying ‘get educated, make our parents proud.’
We travelled all this way and then there was this boat with only one place left. My brother made me take it. I said, ‘not without you, you’ll come with me’, he said, ‘Just go Habib Jon. I promise I'll see you soon’.
He never did. I'm just regretting. Why did I let him go? I was so sad, but to be honest, I found kindness everywhere. Like a year later when I was put in this dodgy hostel with grown-ups and the woman who run it knew it was no place for a child. She fought and fought for me to get rehoused.
And when my visa was rejected, this lawyer kept fighting for me and I was able to appeal. These people don't know me, but I wouldn't be here without them.
Later on when I got my first flat, my neighbour would never say hello to me. I noticed he was quite old, so one day I said ‘Hey, if you ever need any help, please just come and knock.’ And then one day he did. His window was stuck or something, it was such a small thing, but he couldn't do it, and he kept thanking me. But I just told him, ‘You know, a lot of people helped me, and I think this is the way to pay back. It's about being in a community, and it doesn't have to be big things.’
Like, in my whole family, I think I am the first one who managed to come out of this bad situation, and I think if they were alive they would be proud. Even my father would say, ‘Well done my son.’”
Habib is an Afghan refugee who came to the UK as an unaccompanied child asylum seeker.
This animation explores his journey, his separation from his family and how he has built a new community in the Midlands.
It was produced as part of Becoming Adult project, a three-year research project based at University College London, University of Birmingham and Oxford University.
Habib Rezaie was a creative producer throughout the Becoming Adult project.
“I think humans change other human’s minds. It’s hard for some people in the middle of Britain to know much about refugees, so this type of short animation hopefully helps them to know more about the refugees in their country, with the anticipation that some people change their points of view.
“I think there are many refugees who experienced the same conflicts and struggles I did, so hopefully this type of animation showcases what it’s like to be a refugee in Britain, and also shows how to overcome some of the barriers we face.” - Habib
About the research
The project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, investigated the experiences and wellbeing outcomes of young people who had travelled to the UK as unaccompanied child migrants as they made the transition into adulthood.
For more information about the research projects featured in Refugees: Forced to Flee, explore this guide from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council.
Video created by PositiveNegatives with Majid Adin and Feed Me Light Productions for Becoming Adult (funded by the Economic and Social Research Council).
About the Exhibition
From the First World War to the present day, explore the deeply personal stories of people who have been forced to flee their home at Refugees: Forced to Flee at IWM London.
