Atem Atem Oral History

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DescriptionThis interview consists of one video recording. Atem Atem was interviewed on 25 June 2019 at Studio 2166 in the Whitlam Library, Cabramatta by Alinde Bierhuizen.Interview SummaryAtem migrated to Australia in 2002. He was 28 years old and had spent the majority of his life in refugee camps. Atem’s father was politically involved in the formation of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the South Sudanese rebel group who fought the Sudanese Government during the Second Sudanese Civil War. This war lasted from 1983 to 2005 and resulted in the independence of South Sudan in 2011.

At the start of the civil war, when Atem was about twelve years old, his father moved his family to Ethiopia. They lived in a refugee camp for seven years, until the Socialist Ethiopian Government, which was supportive of the SPLA’s cause, was overthrown.

‘We felt in the refugee camp that we couldn’t stay, because they were likely to come and kill all of us; and they did attack some refugee camps and they did kill people.’

Atem and his family then spent a year tracking across Sudan and ended up in Kukuma refugee camp in Kenya. There, Atem was able to resume his education. He was awarded a scholarship and attended boarding school outside the refugee camp. Once graduated, his Secondary School Certificate gave him status in the community: ‘the idea of education was very very important and one of the things we were told in Ethiopia and coming to Kenya is: “We were the leaders of tomorrow” –we are still waiting to be the leaders of tomorrow, but part of it was that this war was being fought on our behalf.’

With the help of a sponsor, Atem and his family were eventually able to leave Kukuma and move to Australia. Through participating in this project Atem hopes to create a better understanding of what it means to live life as a refugee, because: ‘[some people] think you are in a refugee camp doing nothing with your life, you know, but people do try hard to make something of their life even in those situations. And when they come here they try hard to really make something out of it. Because that is what they know how to do.’Date25/06/2019IntervieweeAtem AtemInterviewerAlinde BierhuizenDuration00:13:03Transcripts availableNoRightsFairfield City CouncilAccess conditionsAccess open for research, written permission required for personal copies and public useNotesThis interview forms part of the exhibition 'Treasures from Home' which was on display at Fairfield City Museum & Gallery from 24 August 2019 to 15 February 2020.

Connections

Oral History ProjectAll Oral HistoriesVideo interviewsTreasures from Home InterviewsExhibitionTreasures from HomeRelated ItemAtem Atem - From Eastern Africa to Riverwood

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