Touch the Sun

by Emily Conolan

  You take the golden pen from your pocket. Your audience knows this part of the story, because it made international headlines. With the exposure of Bright Dream, hundreds of orphans destined for the frontlines of al-Shabaab’s dirty war were rescued and given true hope. And the money trail in the bank account left a clear set of footprints for the investigators to follow: who al-Shabaab had bought their weapons from; in what towns they had conducted transactions or built hideouts; which vehicles were purchased and what kind of technology they had for surveillance and attack. With this treasure-trove of information, the AMISOM forces conducted a series of major raids, bringing down a major military leader of al-Shabaab and dozens of unit commanders. The movement is still alive, but significantly weakened, with al-Shabaab one step closer to defeat and Somalia one step closer to peace, thanks to your efforts in bringing this crucial information out safely.

  When you conclude your talk, the audience gives you a standing ovation. You take some questions from the eager crowd.

  ‘You said the pen has an interesting history – can you tell us about that?’ asks a boy.

  ‘Absolutely,’ you say. ‘Well, the story goes that back in 1825, an Irish convict brought a special bracelet to Australia, sewn into the hem of her skirt. The bracelet contained seven gems, and the first letter of each gem spelt out a word – in this case “F” for fire opal, “R” for ruby and so on, spelling the seven-letter word “freedom”.

  ‘The bracelet broke and the gems were shared. The ruby went to a man named “Inky” Williams, who was my Uncle Aadan’s great-great-great-great-grandfather! Of course, Aadan added the memory stick himself, to give as a gift to my Aunty Rahama,’ you add. ‘The other six freedom gems could be anywhere. But this pen brought me my freedom, because it gave me a reason to write and to speak up.’

  A field of hands shoot up with further questions. ‘There’s time to answer one more,’ you say, and pick out a girl in the front row.

  ‘What are you going to do next?’ she asks.

  ‘Well,’ you reply, ‘you remember how I actually met some of the orphans from Bright Dream by accident when my sister and I hitched a lift out of the desert? At the time, I was sure they’d all be killed in an al-Shabaab mission before too long. But I’ve just been contacted by Hassan!’

  The audience gasps, delighted.

  ‘Yeah. I know. I was so excited to hear it too. And now Hassan wants to go back to Somalia and start a real orphanage to help all the kids who were mistreated by Bright Dream.

  ‘He’s in Kenya at the moment. I’m flying there next month to interview him, before he returns to Somalia to start the new orphanage, and I’m hoping to use the money I raise here in Australia from my book sales and talks to support him.

  ‘I also want to visit my friends in Kenya who you read about in the book – Sampson and Abshir in Nairobi, and Jok and Adut, who still live in Dadaab. I also want to raise funds for Maryam and Majid; they’re still stuck in Indonesia until Australia starts accepting visa applications from there again, but they want to start a school there for refugee kids like their son, Mahmoud.

  ‘But that’s my long-term plan. In the short term, once I’m finished talking to you guys, I have a birthday party to go to. Thanks for being such a great audience!’

  The principal shakes your hand warmly and you hurry from the hall into the summer afternoon sunshine – you don’t want to be late for the party. When you get to Aadan’s house, Jamilah is already there in the living room, lounging on the couch. She looks so smart in her school uniform. You can’t believe she’s fourteen years old already!

  But the guest of honour still isn’t here …

  ‘Where is she?’ you ask Jamilah. ‘She can’t be late for her own birthday party!’

  ‘Oh, you know her,’ says Jamilah and laughs. ‘She takes forever in the shower!’

  Just then, a breath of hot air and sweet-smelling shampoo wafts into the living room as a figure walks in, a towel around her head. She gives her frizzy hair one last rub and throws the damp towel back, and you see that wonderful face – the face of the woman who hid with you in a hole in the ground, who faked her own death to trick the terrorists, who Jamilah saw on the TV as she was dragged from the ocean; the face of the woman who managed to save all your lives. Aunty Rahama.

  You run to her and she squeezes you into a hug as if you were still a little boy, although by now her head fits under your chin. She takes your hand and limps to the table. The doctors have said she’ll always have that limp, a legacy of the stroke she had after she was pulled from the ocean, which kept her in a coma in an Italian hospital all that time you were searching for her.

  Aadan comes in from the kitchen carrying two amazing-smelling platters of food – Somali and Australian dishes, all Aunty Rahama’s favourites, a feast to rival the amazing wedding party they held three years ago for all their family and friends.

  When you hug Rahama now, you notice how you have to bend around her growing baby bump. She and Aadan are expecting a little boy in the autumn. They are thinking of naming him Zayd.

  Zayd stayed by Aunty Rahama’s side in Italy the whole time she was unconscious, never giving up hope, trying every way he knew to try to trace you, until she eventually regained consciousness and told him how to contact Aadan. He now lives in Germany and works as a taxi driver.

  Jamilah is in the doorway now, hissing your name. You follow her to the kitchen.

  ‘Here – sign Aunty Rahama’s card,’ she says.

  You always keep the Freedom Pen in your shirt pocket – it’s both a good-luck charm and a badge of honour to you. You pull it out now, and write in Rahama’s birthday card: To Rahama, you make my heart come alive.

  You still write poems with the golden pen, too – although you’re now studying to become a qualified journalist, you still have a heart full of poetry. The book you’ve just published ends with the words:

  I write because my tongue has no bones

  But it’s strong enough to break down all the haters’ words.

  You and Jamilah are called to the table – it’s time to feast! A circle of raised glasses catch the light, and three smiling faces turn to you: your family. A kookaburra laughs in the garden, and the sunset turns the steam from the feast golden. ‘To freedom!’ says Rahama.

  It’s the same toast she makes – you all make – every time you sit down together, but you never grow tired of it. It’s a family song you all know the words to. It reminds you of everything you’ve been blessed with.

  ‘To freedom,’ you reply.

  FACT FILE:

  SOMALIA

  Somalia is a country on the north-eastern coast of Africa. It’s shaped like the number ‘7’, with the long part of the ‘7’ adjoining the Indian Ocean. It is home to 14.3 million people, most of whom are Sunni Muslims, and its capital is Mogadishu.

  These days, when you mention Somalia or Mogadishu, most people think of war and famine. But it wasn’t always like that. Records show that as far back as when the ancient Egyptians were building their pyramids, they were trading commodities such as gold, wood and ivory with those from the rich southern ‘Land of Punt’, which historians think was around the area of present-day Somalia. Mogadishu was such a beautiful city that for many years it was known as ‘the White Pearl of the Indian Ocean’.

  As European countries became more powerful in the 1800s, though, they weren’t going to leave this African treasure-trove untouched. Italy and Britain colonised (took over) Somalia, and controlled it for nearly a hundred years, from the late 1800s until 1960.

  After Somalia gained independence from the colonisers, there was a brief period of peace until, in 1969, a dictator* called Siad Barre seized power. Eventually, more than twenty years later in 1991, Barre’s government collapsed and Somalia was left without a leader, which threw the country into chaos as different would-be leaders fought for power.

  The civil war – a type of war where a country fights within itself – began in 1991 and co
ntinues in some parts of the country today.

  In 2006, a radical Islamic terrorist group called al-Shabaab joined the struggle for control of Somalia. At the time this story opens, in early September 2011, Mogadishu is protected by AMISOM†. However, al-Shabaab still controlled much of the countryside and sometimes mounted attacks in central Mogadishu, hoping to overthrow it. Today, al-Shabaab continues to represent a significant threat to peace in Somalia. A truck bomb in Mogadishu in 2017 killed 512 people. The history of clan-based conflict in Somalia makes it difficult for the country to unite against al-Shabaab.

  This continuing conflict, and ongoing droughts and famine in the region, mean that every day, Somali people still face huge hurdles to making a living, or accessing healthcare or education.

  Despite its turbulent history, Somali people love their country and their culture. Somali people say that they love to laugh, that their cooking is the best in the world, and that they have a strong sense of family and community spirit. There is so much more to know and understand about Somalia – and, luckily for Australia, over 6000 Somalis now live here, and many of them are happy to share their history and culture.

  Return to scene 1 to make your choice.

  * A leader who rules the country by force, and is not chosen as leader by the people.

  † The African Union Mission in Somalia, a peacekeeping force made up of soldiers from other African countries, with a mission to stabilise Somalia.

  FACT FILE:

  JOURNALISTS AT RISK

  Have you ever stayed quiet about something that was bothering you, because you were worried you’d get into trouble if you spoke up? Or have you ever told the truth even though you knew someone else would be angry at you for doing so?

  These are the kinds of problems journalists face all the time. If a journalist finds evidence of a powerful person cheating or lying, they’ll probably feel it’s important for the public to know the truth, even though that powerful person will be angry about being exposed. Or if a journalist writes an opinion piece that expresses an unpopular view, they might be criticised for saying what they think.

  In Australia, we have laws to protect journalists, and to protect the people who are interviewed by journalists. Journalists have ‘freedom of speech’, which is a human right to say or publish what you wish without fear. But there are also laws to protect people from journalists who go too far – for example, journalists aren’t allowed to publish ‘hate speech’ or anything that unfairly attacks someone or damages their reputation. There is a delicate balance between these two sets of laws.

  In some countries, these laws either don’t exist, or they are ignored. This makes being a journalist very risky – especially if they publish a truth that a powerful person or group wants to keep secret. Journalists might be jailed, threatened or even killed for doing this‡. When the media is controlled in this way, the public are kept in the dark; instead of the truth, they are told lies by the people who have the power and money to control what is published.

  Somalia is one of the worst countries in the world for journalists’ freedom. Reporters are often in fear of their lives, especially if they report on problems within the government or al-Shabaab. A few brave journalists continue to take great risks because they are passionate about freedom of speech.

  Would you put your life on the line to broadcast the truth?

  Return to scene 3 to make your choice.

  ‡ The Reporters without Borders website shows that every year, there are 80–100 media workers killed worldwide for doing their job, and that (as of mid-2017) there are nearly 400 media workers worldwide in jail just for speaking out.

  FACT FILE:

  RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM

  Every religion has radical groups, or extremists.

  These are the people who believe it’s all right to kill or hurt other people in the name of their religion, and who believe that every person in the world should be forced to follow their faith.

  No religion is free from extremists. For example, although Buddhism and Hinduism have reputations as being peaceful religions, extremists from both groups often carry out deadly attacks in India, Sri Lanka and other Asian nations. Christian extremism is also on the rise, particularly in the United States.

  However, almost all people who follow any religion are not extremists. Most people are happy to coexist with other religions and would never claim that their god wants them to carry out acts of violence. This is true of all religions, including the huge majority of Muslim people. On the news in Western countries, we currently see a lot about Islamic (or Muslim) extremism. Some people therefore mistakenly believe that all Muslims are potential terrorists. This has led to a rise in racist attacks against peaceful

  Muslim people, which only creates deeper divisions in our society and entrenches misunderstandings.

  It is important that we are on guard in Australia to prevent any terrorist§ attacks from being carried out here, and to make sure no Australian people become violent extremists. However, we should not feel fearful of all people from another country just because an extremist group operates there. Remember that most people are not extremists, and most refugees are running away from terrorists – they are not terrorists themselves.

  There are many quotes in the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, that condemn violence and encourage us to live peacefully together. Nearly all imams (Muslim religious leaders) condemn terrorism and extremism as being the opposite to what Allah (God) and his Prophet Mohammed would have wanted. The same is true of all the other religions’ holy books and leaders.

  When we make friends and build bridges of understanding between different cultures, we make it harder for extremism to take root.

  Go to scene 10 to continue with the story.

  § Groups or individuals who use violence to make a political or religious point.

  FACT FILE:

  CROSSING BORDERS ‘ILLEGALLY’

  To cross an international border legally you need identity documents, such as a passport and visa¶. But people running for their lives often don’t have time to organise a visa – and if their government is corrupt, at war or discriminating against them, that government won’t give them a passport. Furthermore, it is only possible to apply for refugee status after you’ve crossed an international border – you can’t apply within your own country.

  When people cross a border without these papers, this is sometimes described as them entering the new country ‘illegally’. But people running to safety just need to get across the border any way they can. The United Nations (UN) knows this. In 1951, at the end of the Second World War, they established the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) to manage the flow of refugees worldwide. Participating countries made an agreement about the rights of refugees, including the right to seek asylum (a safe place).

  That means that if you are running for your life, it’s not illegal to cross a border without the required documents. Just like an ambulance can break the speed limit and not be fined, a person seeking safety can cross a border without documents and not be fined, because in both cases, they have a special reason to break the law – they are trying to save a life.

  Return to scene 12 to make your choice.

  ¶ A passport proves your identity and citizenship of your home country; a visa states your permission to enter the new country and for how long you may stay.

  FACT FILE:

  REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS

  An asylum seeker is someone who crosses an international border and claims to be in danger. These claims are heard by the UNHCR or the government of the host country, and if the person is found to be in need of protection, they are defined as a ‘refugee’**.

  Refugees are not always poor, and they can come from any country in the world. In their host countries, they may live in camps or in cities. What they have in common is that they didn’t want to leave their home, but felt they had to so they could survive.

  There are lots of situation
s that can push someone into being a refugee, but the most common one is war. That means the countries who host the greatest number of refugees are the neighbours of countries at war. For example, in 2015, 2.5 million refugees (that’s about one in every ten people in Australia) fled a war in Syria to Turkey next door, and Ethiopia received 736,100 refugees, many from its neighbour Somalia.

  Refugees may have a lot to offer their host country: they may have useful skills or qualifications; they may be hard-working and determined. But refugees may also have pressing health needs, as well as basic human needs such as shelter, food and water, and host countries may struggle to meet these needs if many refugees arrive at once.

  How can the countries of the world best cooperate to support and appreciate refugees?

  Go to scene 17 to continue with the story.

  ** If it is decided that an asylum seeker is not in need of protection, they may be sent back to their own country, but this is a very complicated legal process.

  FACT FILE:

  BOTTLE-LIGHTS AND OTHER GREAT INVENTIONS

  Sometimes the best inventions are the simplest. In a place like a refugee camp, which struggles to meet people’s basic needs, a simple invention can have life-changing consequences. Often it’s the people who live in these difficult circumstances themselves who come up with the best ideas.

  The bottle-light from the story is a real invention. It was invented by Alfredo Moser, a Brazilian mechanic. During his city’s frequent electricity blackouts, he came up with a simple solution: to use a bottle of water, fitted into a hole in the roof, to refract the sun’s light and illuminate a room.