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Maha wants to live a free life in Växjö

The war in Yemen has led to a difficult situation for the civilian population. Someone who has experienced that is the journalist Maha Nasser. In April, she came to Växjö for a life in security.
Växjö • Publicerad 22 juni 2018
Foto: Nadia Hagberg

In 2011, a big protest began in the Arab world. The protests movements main requirement was that the running dictator in the different countries would resign, and at the end of the year Jemens leader Ali Abdullah Saleh resigned. In 2012, he was replaced by his Vice President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi.

During the following years the shia muslims Huthirerebells felt discriminated by the government. They took over the capital Sana'a and then Saudi Arabia began its military intervention in Yemen in March 2015, at least 10,000 civilians have been killed.

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Maha Nasser is 31 years old and comes from a slightly poorer family in Yemen. Her mother struggled for her and her sister to get educated. Att first, Maha Nasser started a programming education.. After a secretary service, she started to work with journalism.

– To get an education and to fend was very important. I wanted the freedom to choose what I wanted to do.

She worked as an anchor in Yemen for youth program on TV but also with radio and writing journalism on different newspapers.

– We talk about things that affects the youth. We talked about the importance of education but also about serious issues as sexual harassment, drugs and child marriage. We tried to find solutions to different problems related to these subjects.

But to work as a journalist in Yemen was difficult, nearly impossible. When the civil war broke out, Maha could not continue working. Instead, the mainly focus was to survive.

– My area got bombed and six people died. My brother died too in the war when he served as a military. It was horrible, especially for his two children.

Maha Nasser, who got famous in her area because of her work, realized that she was forced to leave.

– They wanted to arrest me and my father, so my family decided that I needed to leave as soon as possible.

After a year in Malaysia, where she got help with money and a shelter from friends, a pleasing message was sent to her. She was going to Växjö as a refuge artist.

– I got so happy because I love Sweden. I have always wanted to come here because it is free and kind towards women.

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A refuge artist is a person that gets invited by a Swedish municipality or region because she or he is persecuted in her or his own country. In Sweden, the artists receive a sanctuary for two years. During that period, they get help to continue living and working with their career in security. Växjö municipality has been a sanctuary since 2012, that has given protection to refuge artists through the international and independent network Icorn. Växjö is one of about 60 cities and regions connected to the network. These are found mainly in Europe but also in, for example, America.

The concept refuge artist is wide and it is not just artists that can get a sanctuary in Sweden. Journalists, poets, writers, authors, bloggers, musicians, actors and photographers can also get a sanctuary.

– I am so grateful to have this chance and there are so many I want to thank.

During these years that Maha Nasser gets sanctuary in Sweden, she wants to work with journalism. She also want to get to know the people that lives here.

– I want to learn Swedish and look at the world as swedes. I have received a friendly reception and people are so nice here.

What do think about Växjö?

– It is beautiful here. I really appreciate the nature and the people that lives here.

Nadia HagbergSkicka e-post
Så här jobbar Mosaik Vxonews med journalistik. Uppgifter som publiceras ska vara korrekta och relevanta. Vi strävar efter förstahandskällor och att vara på plats där det händer. Trovärdighet och opartiskhet är centrala värden för vår nyhetsjournalistik.
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