Let Us Experience More Than a Sufferari: personal thoughts on approaching displaced communities

It is interesting how some people engage with suffering.  I am not talking about those who endure suffering, but rather those who engage other people’s suffering.  We have no shortage of suffering in Lebanon at the moment; the Syrian Civil War has left millions displaced into horrific conditions of vulnerability and insecurity.  Many refugees have taken residence in tent settlement communities throughout the country.  These makeshift accommodations offer rudimentary living conditions that are deficient in space, water, sanitation, electricity and protection from the elements.  Many other refugees have sought refuge in urban centers where provisions and security are often elusive and sparse.  To experience the challenges of forced displacement is to experience a very real and pungent form of suffering.  Yet for some outsiders, an experience is exactly what they want.

Many are mobilizing to help the victims of the Syrian Civil War, the greatest humanitarian disaster of the 21^st century.  Individuals, organizations and churches throughout the world are eager to be part of the response, and foreigners frequently travel to Lebanon to see the situation firsthand.  Oftentimes these outsiders are connected to local aid and relief organizations that are involved in various forms of relief and development initiatives among refugees.  These hosts, or guides, escort the visitors around the country and often budget time in the itinerary for a visit to refugee settlements and families.  I have begun calling this particular encounter a ‘Sufferari’ because of the way it bears a disturbingly similar resemblance to a Safari.  Here is how I (tongue firmly in cheek) see it playing out:

A group of foreigners and their local guide navigate the rugged landscapes in large vehicles to experience an ‘authentic’ encounter with refugees in their natural habitat (rural tent settlement communities are widely considered prime locale). Sometimes participants are content to merely observe from a safe distance; others prefer to personally engage with the refugee and experience the ‘real deal’ of displacement.  This usually involves entering a refugee family’s home and sitting on the floor while drinking small glasses of sweetened tea.  The guide will help navigate communication between the parties so that refugees can express in their own words how terrible it is to flee war and take refuge in another country. The foreigners may try to offer some uplifting words or simply sit quietly, listen and observe.   Oftentimes the displaced young will put on a lively display of energy, youthfulness and warmth, much to the delight of the tourists who find these little faces especially charming objects of photography.  After a short time, Sufferari participants return to their comfortable accommodations feeling as though they have tasted the bitterness of displacement misery.  Thoughts will be shared in emails and status updates, pictures will be posted abundantly on social media, and financial ties will be strengthened between outside parties and local organizations.  Meanwhile the refugees remain. Their suffering drags on.

The Sufferari is by no means limited to visiting displaced Syrians; one can travel the world in search of casual encounters with suffering.  Such recreation can take place in urban slums and shanty towns, official refugee camps, impoverished rural communities and many other areas of marginalization.  Celebrities, dignitaries and common-folk alike have found such excursions edifying.   I personally have been part of a number of Sufferari-like experiences, sometimes as a paying tourist, sometimes as a student and sometimes as a guide. 

One must ask, “Is such an activity wrong?”  I would not say so.  There is an unrelenting amount of suffering in this world; it is proper to be aware and exposed to the needs of others.  While one can learn much from news reports or correspondences with others involved in the situation, a personal experience continues to be the most powerful way of wrapping one’s mind around the realities facing the poor, the displaced and the oppressed.  Additionally, many relief, aid, and development organizations are dependent on outsider funding in order to provide support to those in need.  Arranging personal experiences is an effective way to profile services and engage donors.  Such activities often happen with good intentions, yet we must all look critically at our practices and examine their implications.

The question of a Sufferari is not “is this right or wrong?” but rather “is this consistent with how we normally approach another’s suffering?”  I strongly believe that we would never think of engaging with other forms of suffering the way we engage with displacement.  Could you imagine taking a guided tour of a cancer ward at a children’s hospital in order see for yourself the situation of children and their families fighting cancer?  How would feel about a group visiting a shelter for battered women and then posting pictures online of the people they met?  Would you ever be comfortable visiting a tornado-ravaged town in order to share a fifteen minute conversation and Coke with a family whose home lies in wreckage?  Clearly we would consider all these to be insensitive to individuals enduring very severe forms of suffering and loss.  Yet when it comes to the refugee, many do not seem to have an issue with casually approaching and displaying another’s traumatic form of suffering.

I am by no means advocating that we keep our distance from those in need.  We should not turn our eyes away from those who suffer; scripture is very clear that true faith requires an active concern for the poor and oppressed.  The more I personally engage with the phenomenon of displacement the more I see that this is a matter that God cares about, and so should His people.  Our challenge is then engaging with refugees in ways that do not ‘package’ their experience but rather uphold individual dignity.  The following are points to keep in mind to guard against Sufferari operations.

-          Do not objectify the refugee.  Yes, refugee status is a particular classification that denotes a specific situation, but we are all first and foremost individual people.  We should never present or define others by their current statuses.

-          Keep the individual, rather than the situation or circumstance, at the center of the relationship. This means we must ask the questions, “If this person were not a refugee, would I still care for her?  Would I still give her of my time, attention and resources?  Would I still be interested in visiting or bringing visitors to this home?”  If the question is no then we need to examine our own hearts and motivations.

-          Never include the distribution of money or aid with personal visits.  This sets an unhealthy precedent that can create many complications on various levels.

-          Avoid short in-and-out visits.  Do not make a refugee settlement or family simply another stop on a tour; be prepared to spend considerable time.  The purpose for such visits must be to make real, human connections with others, which cannot be achieved in a mere 30 minutes or less.  If you cannot afford to give quality time then it is probably better that you not go at all. 

-          Be very careful about posting pictures of refugee people and places on social media.  Never objectify suffering by making it a background for self-presentation and display.

-          Conduct visits only within the context of consistent, ongoing relationship.  For me this means only taking visitors to refugee families that I know personally.  These are individuals with whom I frequently share my life and occasionally take visitors to meet.  If we are not spending time with displaced individuals on our own then we should not spend time with these individuals while hosting visitors.

-          Finally, always consider how you would want others to interact with you if you were enduring an extreme type of suffering.  If you are not comfortable with having your own personal suffering on display then do not seek to display the personal suffering of others.

I cannot overstate the current need for healthy, holistic care for the many millions suffering displacement in Lebanon, the Middle East and throughout the world.  Each one must ask what role he or she can play in addressing this enormous need.  Nonetheless, we must be mindful of the implications our actions have on those we seek to help.  Do not allow the work of serving the poor, distressed and oppressed turn into a type of industry and never use another’s suffering as strategic means to professional ends.  All interaction with refugees must navigate complicated sensitivities in order to forge healthy, balanced relationships between individuals.  In summary, let us experience more than a Sufferari; let us experience authentic opportunities to honor others and uphold their God-given dignity in and through all situations.