Metin Dogrucan
I was born in Sakarya in Turkey and brought up in an area which was populated by Minorities such as Kosovans, Bosnians, Caucasians and Kurds. Brought up in a big family of 21, I lived in a farm. My grandfather Abdurrahman was a chairman of horseriders. One day in 1984 he saw a number of families from a Kurdish part of Turkey sleeping in the town centre, who had been forced out of their villages. Some male members of the families were still imprisoned whilst the remaining family members travelled looking for jobs, for survival and a new home.
During this time our farm was being reconstructed in order to integrate with the city and my grandfather took the decision to turn the animal barns into new family homes and so just imagine, one day he brought 10 - 15 people, mainly children and women, home. He bought clothes and food in equal amounts for everybody on the farm. I remember us singing and playing games together in the evening since TV was not yet in our area. Being a child, we did not realise what was going on around us, but we enjoyed the cultural exchange amongst each other.
Years passed by and the male members of the family returned from prison and re-united with their families. Their remaining possessions were sold in exchange for a big peace of land and the families moved on to one of the suburbs of Sakarya. When my grandfather died, farm life was destroyed as a result of my uncle’s mismanagement and at the end my father was offered parts of the land by the Kurdish families to join them in their new land. We constructed our new home with the help of the Kurdish families.
Only later on in my life, having conversations with the families and finding out more about our past, I realised I myself was a refugee with family roots coming from Yugoslavia. My grandmother Nazife told me how she travelled to Turkey and what happened to our extended family, some of which had settled in different parts of Turkey, others of which stayed in Yogoslavia.
Whilst reading GRAPES OF WARMTH by John Steinbeck I had a chance to reflect on the scale of challenges accompanied by being made homeless, displaced and having to start a completely new life, that so many refugees go through all over the world.
Even now, living in the UK, the feeling of not really belonging is a central theme in my life and follows me wherever I go.
When I went to University in Istanbul to study Journalism I also learned that the world had so many sanctions which were dominated by imperialism and oligarchy. I joined those fighting for their economical and social freedom and we organised meetings and demonstrations to protest. The beginning of the 1990’s became an era of big student uprising after the 1980 Military coup and I am very proud of being part of this movement. I learned a lot about life during this time and my morally and spiritual values were greatly influence through this experience.
In November 1996, following a protest against the Turkish Higher Education Authority I was expelled from my university for 6 month and I left Turkey, following 8 days of Torture and Imprisonment, just glad to be alive.
When I came to the U.K. I was housed in 30 Warrior Square, Hastings by Hackney Borough Council where I was helping Refugees on a voluntary basis. In return I was registered at the International-House Language School and in June 1998 I completed my A levels at Bexhill College and was offered a place at Wolverhampton University.
In 1999 I took a gap year following my brothers’ death and worked in Gardner’s books in Eastbourne and completed my Degree in Photo journalism in June 2003.
Between the years 2000 and 2003 I worked as an Interpreter both employed and on a voluntary basis. I helped refugees from all around the world as a legal representative on behalf of Howe & Co. Solicitors. Being a refugee I was aware of the difficulties that being displaced brings to so many of us. Being an interpreter I learned even more about discrimination on many levels, both institutional as well as personal.
I believe in standing firm and still campaign for the rights of asylum seekers and have since collated and researched materials for my book “No-where-land”.
I still value my political roots in the UK, having joined Rother Race Action Forum. I also embarked on a new journey as a Restaurant Entrepreneur, so if you like to find out more about my life or the delicious food of my community, please visit MARABOU RESTAURANT, 60 Devonshire Road, Bexhill, TN40 1AX.
(Thank you to CCDN for assisting me to record some of my memories and achievements.)