Abdo's story*, Sudan
Romania has given me a new life.
Dear Abdo, thank you so much for agreeing to give us this interview.
Thank you. Your country has given me a new life.
What do you mean?
I received refugee status in Romania. I'm from Sudan, where there are many conflicts and I can't go back. I also want to bring my family here. I have two children and I want them to have a better life. I want to start from the beginning. I have energy. I have a degree in IT, information technology. I want to continue my studies and get my degree from Sudan recognized.
I arrived in Romania in 2022, on the morning of February 27. I came to Romania legally, with a work visa. It was very difficult and expensive to get it. I sold my car to buy the visa.
Now I work here and my family is in Sudan. But they are suffering. If you see the news, the situation is very bad. They don't have food and water. I'm doing my best to take them to Egypt where they might be safe.
Are there other immigrants in your workplace? How do you get on with your coworkers?
At my workplace there are only Romanians. They are very, very nice people and they help me when I need it. In Sudan we have different traditions, but I have learned to adapt to a different context. I like the people. It's not about religion. Here I often visit my colleagues' homes and do a lot of activities with them.
Many Romanians ask me why I don't go to another European country. Life is not good here, they say. Maybe because they have never been to Sudan and have never been in my place. It's a bad situation there. I tell them to be grateful for this country. It is an amazing country and you have many opportunities to develop here. Don't just sit and wait for things to come to you. It is not good. You have to fight for your life.
Are your coworkers curious about your life too?
They don't ask me many questions. My coworkers have a lot of problems. They're all divorced or in the process of divorce. When I went to court, I found a lot of people waiting for the trial. Even if they have children, they get divorced.
What is the attitude towards divorce in the culture you come from?
It's not like here. Here there’s a lot. We divorce, but the woman cannot ask for divorce. The decision is up to the man. I think that's why we don't have many divorces.
Also, here it seems people don't visit their neighbors. They don't know who lives next door. When you get to a new place, you have to go and visit, get to know the people who live around.
What do you think about what is happening in Sudan now?
I graduated from University. After that I tried to find work, but I was not allowed to work because I was against the government.
So I went to Saudi Arabia and stayed there for six years. After that I came back to my country and worked as a taxi driver. I couldn't work with my diploma because they recognized me and didn't allow me.
I was arrested about ten times. They threatened me all the time. They tortured me when I was in prison... Do you understand? Yes, it's very difficult. Now I'm seeing a psychologist to overcome all this. It's very hard for me. I'm a man. I have dreams for the future. My family doesn't even know what happened to me in prison.
The military has been in power for 35 years. The military are people I don't understand... Now in the capital there is fighting and many civilians are dying. See this mark on the skin? It's from a gun. The government has been against everything we've done, all the time. You can't imagine what my children are studying in school.
Abdo has a bag full of books.
What books are they?
Books. I bought them today. It's very cheap here, I found them in a bookstore in Union Square.
Who is your favorite writer?
I like motivational books. All the Romanian books here are hard for me to read. I went to the library once with a friend, there's a big library in the center, but they wouldn't let me in. So I went to the Antipa museum instead.
Are there any books from Sudan that you could recommend us to read?
Have you read Abdullah El Tayib? He wrote a lot about life, lived in London. He spoke seven languages. See if there's anything translated.
Have you met Ukrainians, talked to Ukrainian refugees?
I have two Sudanese friends who lived in Ukraine. They speak very good Russian and Ukrainian. When they came to Romania it was very difficult for them to get papers because they were refugees in Ukraine. Now they have received protection, but I am very worried for them. They tried to leave the country, but the police caught them at the border in Timișoara. They want to go somewhere else...
What do you think about the war in Ukraine?
It makes me very sad, because you can't kill your brother. They have the same blood. They have the same tradition. I don't know why they do that. War is terrible for everyone involved, no matter the geographical area, whether it's in Africa or in Europe.
Thank you for these confessions!
This story is part of the "Human Stories" collection, which illustrates the voices of refugees in our country and their unique experiences. The photos were provided by Abdo and were taken in the early days of the revolution in Sudan in December 2019. The interview took place in January 2023.
*The name of the protagonist of this interview is changed to protect his identity.