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Kardelen’s Story

My mum came from a small village in Kurdistan. Her village was completely off grid. The largest place she saw was the closest city to her, with a population of 1,000 at the time. She flew to Germany to find a better life, to run away from the poverty they experienced in the village. She never wanted to leave her mum, but circumstances forced her. My uncles were living in London and wanted to move there. She was flying to London finally and was caught as with her fake passport. She was imprisoned for a month and was crying everyday. She managed to get to London and met my dad and had a family of her own. She came to a country she didn’t want to, living with people who didn’t want her. My mum sacrificed a lot to come to this country and yet we are still being targeted.

-Kardelen, London

© Yinka Shonibare, 2018 | Website by Hanna Sorrell