Wind identity: the challenges of Sudanese in Egypt between the search for work and the redefinition
Wars still impose difficult conditions, and they throw a heavy shadow for the lives of individuals, not only by displacement and loss of goods, but also by undermining the foundations of identity that a person has built over the years. Thousands of Sudanese men and women who arrived in Egypt because of the war are confronted with bitter reality, because it is added to the shock of displacement, many challenges, which are the difficulty of obtaining specific work or support programs. In this context, the question becomes “who are you without your work?” Utmost and painful for these expatriates.
In a company that often connects subjective value to the function and as a position, the Sudanese find themselves just from this basic definition. After having his work, his social post and even his nested identity with his work in Sudan, he became in Egypt just a “refugee” in search of a job opportunity that may not come. This situation creates a “contradictory identity” in the sense presented, because the individual faces a reality which requires the redefinition of himself, far from any functional name.
Feeling that “work is part of the identity” fades quickly when there is no “work” at all. The search for work becomes not only a material need, but rather a research to restore a missing part of oneself. In the light of difficult economic conditions in Egypt and intense competition on the labor market, many are found in a vicious circle of despair and frustration. Specialized programs aimed at effectively empowering Sudanese on the job market, and many initiatives do not have the capacity to integrate them in a sustainable and generous way.
In addition, the emphasis on the “passion” which turns into “work” becomes a long -standing luxury when the main objective is to survive and to provide basic needs. The dream of converting hobbies into a source of income only becomes a distant memory, and pleasure turns into duty, and money in tension and anxiety in relation to the unknown future.
However, in the midst of these challenges, a glimmer of hope lies in the concept of “deciphering self -association”, and despite the difficulty of this in the light of the urgent need for work, this severe circumstance can be an opportunity – although painful – to rediscover the self of the isolation of its career definition.
How can Sudanese dismantle this link while facing the crisis of existence? The response to the search for activities outside the framework can be, even if it is simple: learn a new competence, to engage in community activities, or even a meeting with new people who do not know it via a “work card”. These activities can provide an outlet and return part of the feeling of belonging and allows the individual to rebuild part of his identity outside the restrictions of the working name.
In the end, the big image on which we must concentrate is that true identity is much wider than a simple job. The Sudanese refugee is not only a “job seeker” or “moved”. It is a person who has a story, has skills and has a passion – even if this passion is buried under the rubble of war and displacement. When the Sudanese refugee is asked “What are you doing?”, The sincere and comfortable answer can be at the same time: “I’m looking for work, but I also learn, I do volunteer and try to find my way in this new reality.”
The identity built on the basis of the function can collapse with the first resignation, or in this case, with the first trip. But the identity that is based on the essence of man, which really explains his chest, is the identity that continues and flourishes, even if everything changes. This is the message that must reach Sudanese refugees and for host societies to be a guide for them in their journey to the reconstruction of their lives and their identity in the houses of alienation.
