Dimensions
157 x 194 x 16mm
This is the second collection of 'Tales From A Suitcase', based on the highly acclaimed SBS documentary series of the same name. The stories of these lucky survivors, most of whom have spent several years in Woomera, are harrowing.
Since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, and subsequently the oppressive rule of the Taliban from the mid 90s, many thousands have been forced to flee their homeland. Just some of these people have made it to Australia. Some Afghans have managed to get to Australia via official channels.
Professor Hula, who spent six years in prison during the Russian occupation, escaped to Pakistan with two sons hiding under the back seat of a bus where they nearly suffocated. His wife and daughter escaped a month later and finally his other son was able to join them a year later. The family made it to Australia under refugee status in 1996.
Other refugees don't have access to Australian embassies. They are often tagged by the media as "boatpeople" and "illegal refugees"; it seems that Australia is not, as it has so often been in the past, a safe haven for these victims of war.
After the Second World War, many arrived in Australia without documents or passports or authorised immigration papers. Now displaced Afghans are arriving, often without even a suitcase. And yet, to quote Khadem Noori, a 19-year-old who doesn't know where his family is: "living in Australia is like living in paradise".
