Testimonial

The Journey of Hafiz El Sudani* is the story of a Sudanese refugee, Hafiz Adem, recounting his escape from En Nahud prison, in Kordofan, until his arrival in France. Condemned to death for a crime he did not commit, he describes his arbitrary arrest and detention, the inhumane conditions of his imprisonment, and the torture and forced labour he experienced. After a two-year journey, including crossing the Mediterranean sea in a migrant boat, Hafiz arrived to Europe in March 2017. It was at an encampment at Porte de la Chapelle metro station, in Paris, that Hafiz encountered the Dessins Sans Papiers collective, who published his story. Extracts.


My name is Hafiz Adem. I was born 28 August 1990 in Aumkebish, Sudan […]

My brother Moussa ran a club in our village where men would come to play cards, drink tea and converse. We also had a television to watch sports and a PlayStation with games. I didn’t really enjoy being at the club, there were always arguments and conflicts…I would go mostly to help my brother. I loved Moussa a lot and he loved me a lot too. I preferred when it was just the two of us, we would sit together, and he would tell me stories.

They tortured us for months to try to get us to confess, but we were innocent.

With nowhere to relieve ourselves, we slept with insects and excrement.

I was still barefoot and in my prison outfit

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Dessins sans papiers

Collectif militant

Since 2016, this activist collective has been organising workshops in refugee camps and shelters. They have also published books of drawings that transcend borders and share stories in a way that everyone can understand.
Following a collection bringing together 200 drawings, Dessins sans papier published The Journey of Hafiz El Sudani, Hafiz Adem’s illustrated testimony, and Mohamed Ndepe Tahar’s The Diary of Mickey the Old Man, the logbook of an unaccompanied minor’s journey from the roads of Douala to Nantes.

To order the book: [email protected]

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