AND STILL WE RISE

Photography by Nour El-Din

The Dove Café is a shining example of how grass-roots activism can have a profound impact on the lives of refugees, asylum seekers and everyone who lives here.

If you take the time to explore West St Leonards, it is likely that you will stumble across the Dove Café. It is an unassuming place, bright and airy, full of the aromas of freshly baked baklava and always serving a delicious range of reasonably priced home made dishes from various countries in the Middle East, Africa and beyond. But this is no ordinary cafe. Its significance runs much deeper.

The Refugee Buddy Project has always been about more than providing friends and allies for newly arrived refugees and migrants. When I meet with its CEO Rossana Leal she insists that there is a pressing need to counter prevailing narratives around immigration. Part of the project’s key missions is to work with communities to ‘create a culture of welcome’ and the Dove Café is a key part of achieving this aim.

In such a climate warm, inclusive and welcoming spaces are needed to counter an entrenched ‘hostile environment’. “The Dove Café is a warm and safe place for all looking for refuge. We are currently seeing so much hostility in the media from politicians who choose to blame the most vulnerable for the many things that are wrong in our society. We hope that people will come to the cafe and share their sorrows, anxieties and thoughts. It is always good to feel that you are not alone and are part of a bigger network of people who care.” Rossana tells me.

Over a period of several weeks I talk with some of the volunteers and workers at the café to find out what being there has meant to them. Some of these conversations were harrowing. I came out of the process much more acutely aware of how horrendous and terrifying the experiences have been for those who seek refuge away from their home countries. More than that, I was deeply humbled at the levels of resilience, hope and optimism those I spoke to displayed. Whilst I am not going to dwell on the frightful experiences I heard about too much, it is important to bear in mind that each and everyone of the people I spoke to at the Dove Café have been through trauma that most of us, thankfully, will never have to face.

Rossana explains that the immigration riots in the summer of this year sent shock waves through the migrant community in Hastings and St Leonards. Online misinformation around the murders that took place in Southport, emboldened the far right to violence and many of those connected with the Dove Café felt vulnerable and scared. The solidarity shown by Hastings, the Buddy Project and the café itself very much helped to reassure refugees and asylum seekers here, Rossana explains.

Khadija

Khadija has a beaming smile. She says that she always “Tries to be strong”. There is no doubt in my mind that she succeeds every day! In 2002 she had to leave her homeland in war torn Sudan and was resettled by the UN Refugee Agency in Lebanon. Reunited with her family there, she did not feel welcome and faced discrimination and inequity. It took 16 years and 3 protracted applications for her and her family to successfully move to the UK. Her Mother still resides in Sudan and Khadija has not seen her in over 20 years. Despite all this adversity, Khadija is cheerful and is blessed with an indomitable spirit. She tells me that the Buddy Project and the Dove Café have supported her immeasurably.

When I ask Khadija which Sudanese dish she likes to cook at the café, she says Mahshi. Mahshi is stuffed roasted zucchini and bell peppers on a bed of tomato sauce. The stuffing is spiced minced meat mixed with rice. She tells me that this dish is cooked for special occasions like birthdays and weddings. Variations of it can be found across North Africa and Mediterranean countries, as well as in South Sudan.

Nour El-Din

Nour has been a keen photographer since he was a young teenager. Now 29, his passion remains unstinted, in fact he has taken all the shots for this piece. Having also exhibited a set of portraits in the Old Town as part of refugee week 2022 and at Electro Studios, Nour hopes to follow his dream of carving a successful career as a photographer. He is a young man with a pronounced sense of duty and obligation. He tells me that he has witnessed things that no-one should ever have to. At the age of 17 he managed to flee worn torn Syria and found himself in Jordan living as a child in a shelter made from cardboard and other found materials. Determined to earn enough money to be reunited with his family who were still stranded in Syria, he managed to get a job with an air-conditioning company.

Finally, and after 3 months of surviving on his own, he selflessly saved enough money to support his family’s move to join him in relative safety. He was overjoyed when the UNHCR confirmed that his family had the opportunity to be resettled in the UK. ‘I have always loved everything British” he says “and when I heard it would be my new home I was so happy and optimistic”. His initial positivity was confirmed by the welcome he says he received from the people of Hastings and the huge support he received from The Refugee Buddy Project. Having said that, his childhood experiences of war has left its mark and Nour is honest about the trauma and depression that accompanied him to the UK. Volunteering and then working at Dove Café has helped him to network, enabled him to learn new skills and has directly led to him becoming more settled.

The Young Creatives Collective which was formed in 2023 is a mentoring project for young people from asylum seeker, refugee and migrant backgrounds to explore their creativity. It has a focus on supporting well-being through creative practice and vocational opportunities. Being mentored by Shannon Ghannam from the project has enabled Nour to grow as an artist.

Roa

Roa is a Palestinian whose family lived and suffered the consequences of the war in Syria. Initially escaping to Oman, her family found their lives there impossible. There was no housing, no opportunities for work. Relocated to Iraq, she faced the real threat of racism and sadly lost close family members to violence. After 15 long years of toing and froing between several inhospitable countries and many unsuccessful UNHCR refugee resettlement applications, her and her 3 children were finally granted leave to remain in the UK.

Roa says that ‘starting from zero’ here was not all plain sailing. The language barrier made all the usual bureaucratic processes complicated. She initially felt isolated and vulnerable. She explains that her family is now split across the globe … her parents and sister in Canada, one brother in Austria, another in Brazil and others still in Iraq.

The Dove Café is currently supporting her to achieve her dream, to be a professional chef. In June of this year she undertook her first private catering job and is clearly destined to realise her ambition.

Roa talks to me about her favourite Dove dish. Maqluba is the Arabic word for ‘upside down’. It is a popular recipe across Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. It consists of meat, rice, and fried vegetables placed in a pot which is flipped upside down when served, hence the name. Roa tells me that Maqluba is not an everyday dish; it is prepared with “love and respect for the whole family on special occasions”

The Refugee Buddy project recently announced that they have been awarded National Lottery, Reaching communities funding. Rossana clarifies that ”Thanks to this support, our programme of activities for the next 3 years will involve the ongoing recruitment of local volunteers to buddy people seeking refuge, providing safe spaces such as the Dove Café, for people to meet, volunteer and learn front of house and working in a commercial kitchen skills as well as practice informal work related English language. The fund will also enable us to continue to do our valuable and now integral social gatherings with the sharing of food and bringing people together.”

Roa echoes my view when she tells me that she wishes every town and city had a Buddy Project and a Dove Cafê. This dream is underpinned by a righteous pride we should all share in Hastings.

Throughout all my conversations with those involved with Dove Cafe and The Refugee Buddy Project, I was continually reminded of one of Maya Angelou’s most well known poems in which she writes ‘You may write me down in history, with your bitter, twisted lies. You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise’

*

Visit the Dove Café, 19 Bexhill Rd, St Leonards-On-Sea TN38 OAH. For more information please visit therefugeebuddyproject.com.