9 Bianca Esquivel

Narrative Summary

For the Oral History Project, I interviewed Dido Helasi. He is a refugee from Congo who currently resides in Iowa City. He was born and raised in Congo until he was forced to flee his home country due to war. In Congo, he lived with his parents, his sister, and left behind other family members and friends. When asked what his childhood was like, he described it as “safe.” Though African culture and experiences are different than those of the United States, life in Congo before the war was about as normal as any other childhood. He enjoyed playing soccer, and eventually attended a University in Congo for four years studying to be a lawyer. Unfortunately, he did not have the opportunity to finish his education in Congo because the war broke out in the middle of his studies. Dido described the war being over political issues and political instability. The president who was in power at the time wanted to continue to stay in power, forever, and did not want to give that power up. In turn, this created instability and Congo broke out into a war when several rebel groups decided they would try to overthrow the government. Knowing war was about to break out and conditions would only worsen, he had the chance to escape and cross the border into Uganda, a neighboring country of Congo. He fled by himself, leaving behind his family and friends taking nothing but himself with him. He described his journey as feeling sad, fearful, and hopeless. The details of the journey were too painful for him to talk about. A lot of people did not make it to Uganda, and he saw a lot of death while crossing the border of Congo into Uganda.

Once he arrived in Uganda, he requested resettlement. Life in Uganda was different. He grew up speaking French in Congo, and Uganda isn’t a French speaking country. He described his experience in Uganda as feeling like a stranger in a country that was not his home. In Uganda, he lived on his own and decided to attend school while he waited to be resettled. He decided not to stay in the refugee camp because people were dying from disease and it wasn’t a safe environment to live in. He wanted to spend time in the Ugandan community, trying to fit in as best he could. He lived on his own paying rent, trying to survive, and benefiting off of refugee welfare. He lived in Uganda for six years, and met lots of friends while staying in Uganda. He decided that Uganda was no longer safe to live when he began seeing news of Congolese and Ugandan politicians meeting with each other and having “talks.” This is when he realized Uganda was no longer safe.

Dido left Uganda in 2017 and was relocated to Dallas, Texas. He did not choose where he would be relocated, but when he heard he was going to the United States, he already had a positive perception about the country. Through the news and politics, he saw the United States as a welcoming country, a country that welcomed anyone. He believed Americans were nice, and that the United States would grant him plenty opportunities as a refugee. He understood that regardless of where he went, he would have to start his life over from the ground up despite his age and life experiences which was hard for him to cope with, and still is. He arrived in Dallas, Texas in the winter of 2017. The only thing he knew about Dallas was that there were cowboys, because he recalled a movie he saw when he was younger called “Dallas” which was about cowboys. The first thing he noticed when he arrived in the United States was that it was very cold. He remembers putting on four layers of clothing because he wasn’t used to the cold weather. Learning English was also hard for him as well. He also remembers experiencing a lot of diversity in Dallas. He met and worked with a lot of Spanish speaking people. Though there was a lot of diversity around him, he still felt it was hard to call this place home. He spent two years in Dallas before deciding to visit a family member in Iowa. He has spent about 8 months in Iowa City, though his move here is only temporary. Currently he is working here in Iowa City, and going to Kirkwood Community College studying Human Sciences. In total, he has been in the United States for about three years now, and takes pride in working with other refugees who have come after him. He councils refugees, advises them, and ultimately helps them choose hope over fear as he puts it. He has family here in Iowa now, he hopes to return to Congo someday to visit the family he had to leave behind though he doesn’t see himself permanently moving back to his home country any time soon.

When asked why he believes it’s important to share his story he said that we must accept each other, and this is not possible unless you hear and listen to the stories of others. He talked about how it’s not easy being a refugee, and it’s not a matter of joy. No one wants to leave their home because of war, especially across the world to a place you feel a stranger in. He also talked about how it’s hard to feel at home in a place where you are labeled as a refugee or immigrant. Given a label, and only being referred to by this name makes him and other refugees feel as if this is not their home. He said that refugees have a lot to contribute to the world and the United States, but struggle to when they are labeled and made to feel as though this is not their home, yet they cannot return to their home country. He believes refugees just want to be heard, and he hopes his story will continue to spread this message.

Personal Reflection

I learned a lot from my interview with Dido Helasi, a refugee from Congo. The experience was very valuable and also very eye opening. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to speak with a refugee and hear their story, in order to understand their experience even if you cannot relate to it. Especially now that the issue of refugees has become a very important topic around the world, actually speaking with someone face to face who has experienced fleeing their home country due to fear, changes your perspective and mindset more than you could’ve ever imagined.

One of the most significant things I learned from my interview with Dido Helasi is the way he talked about feeling like a stranger in these places that he has been forced to call home since fleeing his home country of Congo. He talked about how his arrival to the United States came with a label, “a refugee.” He wasn’t used to being labeled this back at home. Like him and so many other refugees, he talked about how hard it’s been to call the United States home when there’s a special name given to him because of his situation. Being a refugee is already hard enough, but when this has become your new label one could see why it would feel alienating. He says because of this, he feels like a stranger and like this isn’t his home. He touched on how the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees defined who is considered a refugee, but in turn created a label that has now become a part of his identity here in the United States. I thought this was a really interesting insight, one that I would have never thought about. I now can see why referring to someone as just a “refugee” or “immigrant” or even “illegal alien” could feel isolating and be a source of disunity among everyone, because it sets you apart from everyone else.

Another significant fact I learned is just how hard it is to leave your home and start over new in a completely different place across the world. Although this is something I already knew, actually listening to Dido’s personal struggle with this first hand hit home a lot harder because this is something he is still struggling with even today. He recalled when he first found out he was coming to the United States, he knew as a place filled with opportunity. Though he knew he would have to start from the ground up, he believed he would be able to seize opportunities that came his way. He spent four years at University in Congo studying to be a lawyer, when he had to flee in the middle of his education, never being able to finish his degree. Comparing his situation to where he is now, he talked about how he’s attending Kirkwood Community College studying Human Sciences but is stuck struggling with composition 1, which he mentions he is basically failing. He said this has been one of the hardest parts for him, especially because of his age, experiences, knowledge, and skills he brought with him. This made me realize just how broken the system is and when thinking about my own life, being in my third year of college, I couldn’t begin to imagine being so close to getting your degree and having to start all over in a different country where English is not your first language.

The last significant fact I learned from Dido’s experience as a refugee was about the time he spent in Uganda. He was in Uganda for six years, waiting to be resettled. He talked about the conditions of the refugee camp, and how it physically was not healthy for him to stay there. People were dying in the camp from diseases and violence. He decided to take matters into his own hands and continue his education, find his own place to stay, and survive on his own. I thought this was significant because conditions of the refugee camps are not something that is talked about enough. Before hearing the personal experiences of refugees who stayed in refugee camps, I had no idea about the struggles they faced even while awaiting to be resettled. Some living in these conditions for years, with nowhere else to go. One would think refugee camps would be a safe place for refugees to find refuge after fleeing their home countries, but according to refugees experiences this is often times not the case.