CAIRO - Despite her youth, she is aware of what the word 'homeland' means. “I want madly to return to my country, but, due to the situation there, I can't." Doaa Abdullah, 16, is a Sudanese refugee. Two years after she was born in Sudan, her family settled in Egypt. She doesn't remember anything about her childhood in Sudan, but she does want to return. She likes keeping up with the news about her native land, especially on TV, although this makes returning seem rather impossible. Some people haven't made her feel welcome in a coun- try where she's living as a refugee. "When I was in elementary school, I was sitting alone in the playground during the break one day. Three other pupils came up to me and asked: 'Why are you so black? Did your mother leave you too long in the oven?'" They walked off, laughing, while Doaa, who wears the hijab (headscarf), burst into tears. Doaa went home and told her mother, who came to the school the next day and complained to a teacher. "The teacher was very angry about what had happened. He took me to every class until I found the girls who'd insulted me. He then shouted at them and warned them that they'd be kicked out, if they did anything like that again. "Since then, nobody has dared bother me at the school again," said Doaa, a pupil at an Egyptian governmental school in Helwan, southern Cairo. On Friday, Doaa, her family and dozens of other refugees in Egypt were celebrating World Refugee Day, organised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in co-operation with Catholic Relief Services, a non-governmental organisation. The event, held at el-Sawy Cultural Centre in Zamalek, featured a carnival for children including clowns, a pup- pet show and face painting, as well as an art exhibition, handicrafts, henna drawings and the performance of a play called Going to the Neighbours' House. It ended with a performance by Iraqi composer Naseer Shamma, who played Syrian, Palestinian and Iraqi music, which the attendees loved. According to a fact sheet issued by the UNHCR in May, there are 41,344 refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt �" 23,374 Sudanese, 7,081 Iraqi, 6,856 Somali, 1,771 Eritrean, 1,193 Ethiopian and 1,069 of other nationalities. "In every country there seems to be refugees: Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Libya. Our numbers are increasing and we don't know when we can return home," said Doaa, who'd had flowers tattooed on her arm using henna. This was the first time for her to participate in an event commemorating World Refugee Day. She was impressed by all the activities, especially the play, which showed in a simple way who are refugees and what are their rights. "The play really touches the problems we face. It makes Egyptians more aware about how to deal with refugees," she added, smiling. “I hope there'll be more activities like this during the year.” Doaa has four sisters. Her father sells vegetables from a cart and her mother doesn't work. Her biggest dream is to get a good education, so she can help her parents. “My father works hard to feed us and I want to work to help him," she explained, hopefully. "After I've finished my education, I'll try and find a job here, if the situation remains unstable in my country. “But will officials let me to work here if I'm a refugee or will they give priority to an Egyptian?" she asked in a worried tone, as if she already knows the answer.
