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 21st 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.
During the recent holiday break I uploaded pictures on my
laptop and took it to the family. A
small group gathered around the screen and revisited scenes from a life that
was once familiar but now feels very far away.
Some smiled and laughed as they looked back at the past. Others fought back tears. They were looking at houses that no longer exist,
fields that no longer produce, and people that no longer live. It may all be gone now, but the children need
it to still exist. Memories must be made
even if they never happened. The whole
story cannot be about bitterness of warfare, loss, and displacement that these
little children have traumatically endured.
