Guelor’s Story, Morocco
“The light at the end of the tunnel is what Guelor chooses to see.”
“After my father’s death, one of my brothers was murdered due to tribal and family land disputes. I had to escape DRC with my family fearing for our lives. We then embarked upon the most painful and long journey of our lives to reach Morocco. We travelled through South Sudan, Libya and Algeria and during this tough journey, we lost our mother”.
Guelor and his older brother had to watch their mother being rapped and fall sick before she sadly succumbed to her illness on the road. Guelor was then a thirteen year old child. He continued the journey with his older brother until they finally reached Morocco where they got the refugee status.
“Being in Morocco was not easy for us. We had to build a new life from scratch. Moreover, my brother’s psychological condition was getting worse every day. After all, what we went through was horrible and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. My brother was hospitalized and he got some of the help he needed. Unfortunately, when he got discharged, things did not get better. I went back home one day and he simply was not there. I am alone now but I am determined to find the only brother I have left. He is my only family. We escaped together, starved together, grieved together, and suffered together. I won’t give up until we’re reunited. We have to be.”
Guelor is 22 years old today. He enrolled in a professional carpentry training programme in Rabat and is trying to make a living through small jobs. Waiting for day he will find the trace of his missing brother again.
Text by I. Moussaoui/2014.
