#leannetorymurphy

BY LEANNE TORY-MURPHY (FGJ ‘18) - A young man slumps over in a chair in the corner of a migrant drop-in center in Italy’s Sicilian capital of Palermo, then slides to the floor. He clutches his stomach, writhing and groaning. The volunteers call an ambulance and ask him some simple questions. READ MORE

BY LEANNE TORY-MURPHY (FGJ ‘18) - An unprecedented number of people currently live outside their countries of birth — an estimated 250 million, including 65 million who were forcibly displaced. Looking ahead, this figure is only expected to increase, as the effects of climate change, political instability, global inequality and joblessness continue to adversely affect populations around the globe. READ MORE

BY LEANNE TORY-MURPHY (FGJ ‘18) - In the by-now creased photocopy of a photograph, Bakary Cham is wearing a dark blazer over a white shirt. Standing to his right are two other young men. All three stare into the camera, open-faced and serious, hands at their sides, in front of a wall of simple shelves full of binders labelled in marker on their spines. They are in the headmaster’s office at the Wonder Years Centre of Excellence, a school and social services centre in southern Gambia. READ MORE

BY LEANNE TORY-MURPHY (FGJ ‘18) - Amid cheers and a strong back beat, two young men in flat brims and one in a woolen beanie jump onto a makeshift stage at the back of a dimly lit bar and start to freestyle. The hip-hop trio, who call themselves Booku n’dal, are giving their first performance at the Gambian Assembly, an event held last November prior to the elections that ultimately ousted dictator Yahya Jammeh from that small west African nation bordered by Senegal. But they are performing in Palermo, Italy, the Sicilian capital, which has become a primary point of arrival for west Africans in Europe over the past few years. “ I am representing my culture in a new place,” says Sarjo Manneh, one of the three on the stage, “It’s strange to others and we have to explain,” but, he continues, “they will understand we have a different culture from them. We will learn from them and they will learn from us.” READ MORE

BY LEANNE TORY-MURPHY (FGJ ‘18) - On a brisk night in Newcastle, England, a group of varying ages, nationalities and genders crowds a dimly lit bar on a quiet street. There is the cacophony of conversation, novice fiddle players, several guitarists and choir practice as the inner door swings open and then shut, sending a momentary draft through the room. READ MORE

BY LEANNE TORY-MURPHY (FGJ ‘18) - The first glimpse of Italy’s largest refugee camp brings to mind an American suburb with its neat rows of houses in warm hues, fronted by square lawns. The spell is broken at the entrance, where barbed-wire fences are manned by heavily armed soldiers in camouflage gear. READ MORE

BY LEANNE TORY-MURPHY (FGJ ‘18) - PALERMO, Sicily — “We get meat once a week — a chicken thigh. On Wednesdays,” said a young man from Ghana living in Europe’s largest refugee camp, the CARA di Mineo, in eastern Sicily. READ MORE

BY LEANNE TORY-MURPHY (FGJ ‘18) - Assad al-Majid grew up helping his father prepare sweets and ice cream at his family’s shop in Damascus, Syria. Later in life, he opened up his own chocolate factory there. When the war broke out in 2011, he and his family escaped to Jordan. Last year, the father of four resettled to Syracuse, New York, with his wife and children — a long way from his former home, but a place where he is determined to stay and open his own sweets shop. READ MORE