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  • 2 years ago

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Transcript
00:00 This family arrived in Addis Ababa two months ago.
00:04 They're among 31,000 Sudanese refugees now in Ethiopia.
00:08 Sakena is hoping to eventually join her husband in Saudi Arabia,
00:12 but the visa procedure is slow.
00:15 Honestly, at first it was hard,
00:18 especially for the children who wanted to see their father.
00:21 We've slowly adapted.
00:23 We do activities to enjoy the city and help us wind down.
00:27 But we were forced to come here.
00:29 We don't want to leave our country. It's sad.
00:33 Sudanese people here are trying to live as much of a normal life as possible
00:38 while they wait for their visas to be approved.
00:41 Hassan is a comedian.
00:43 He now sells sweets and has set up this community space.
00:47 They're all fleeing war.
00:51 They come with their problems, their stress,
00:53 and talk about what's happening in Sudan.
00:56 They come here to get away from it all.
00:59 They make videos of me and have fun.
01:01 Some write to me on my page to ask for advice
01:04 because they want to come to Addis.
01:07 In the evenings, Hassan often organises events
01:12 to raise funds for Sudanese people in Ethiopia
01:15 who are struggling to make ends meet.
01:18 Our biggest problem is paying $100 every month to immigration.
01:23 Renting a room is also too expensive for us.
01:26 We pay between $600 and $700 each month for our class.
01:30 Authorities have left the Sudanese to their own devices.
01:36 But Ethiopian artists like Fikir Yitigesu
01:39 have been performing Sudanese songs in support.
01:42 I'm not asking for the government to let them stay without a visa or something.
01:47 But I hope if the government can help,
01:50 like they give them like a refugee ID.
01:53 Sudanese people are eligible for a three-month entry visa
01:56 on arrival in Ethiopia free of charge.
01:59 But they then need to figure out where to stay next.
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