Guest blog by Anna Fedenko
One day I woke up a refugee. My identification from I/me changed to they/them because it could not be just Anna anymore: I was the number of people reported to have come to the UK on the 6 o’clock news, a spent pound in the budget of the council, a walking representation of my nation, a potential bingo of stereotypes, one of “them” and not “us”. But I woke up in the house of people I met only the day before for the first time in my life because their home and hearts were big enough to fit in a troubled stranger from a country they had never been to. To be a refugee means to be seen and to experience unconditional, universal kindness that might not have happened to you in any other situation.
To be a refugee means to trust the world. For generations, people have been starting wars, and for generations, there have been places where there was a chance to be saved. Someone you don’t know will share what they have with you only because you are both humans. You trust that there will be an opportunity to start your life all over again, and you know you can do it because once your life could fit in a suitcase and in the family photo album you put in your “go bag”.
And you will find people whose grandparents had a “go bag” too. Their grandparents left their homes with a view of their mountains and their quiet forests. They left the graves of their grandparents and the smell of kutia* on Christmas Eve, their rolled “r” and the laughter of their friends. But they did not leave it, after all. To be a refugee is to carry your traditions within yourself, to create your community, to sing about your mountains and forests, and to teach your children how to make kutia.
“There are 110 million people who have been forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations”**. There are 110 million stories of losing and finding, vulnerability and strength, hate and love, shame and pride. Albert Einstein, Frederic Chopin, Marlene Dietrich, Freddie Mercury, Hannah Arendt, Malala Yousafzai, Judith Kerr, and Salvador Dali were refugees once. They or their parents had to leave their countries because there was something or someone they truly loved and wanted to live for. Everyone deserves a right to choose to live, and to be a refugee means to claim it. Unfortunately, some people die in the attempt to become refugees or suffer abominable conditions while simply trying to survive.
17-24 June 2024 is Refugee Week, which celebrates the contribution of refugees in the UK. CEE Notts creates a space for the Central and Eastern European diaspora in Nottinghamshire championing the region’s identity, heritage, and culture. This summer we are organising several events, including an exhibition, a film screening, a “Cook for Ukraine” fundraising event, and cultural workshops in Mansfield. Follow our social media to find out more.
* Kutia is a sweet grain pudding that is traditionally served as part of a twelve-meal Christmas Eve supper in Ukraine
ceenotts.co.uk 
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