Fugitive
from the Congo
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Tambwe
Meshe Patrick is seventeen years old and comes from the Congo.
He has lived in Sweden for almost a year, and during the last
eight months he has studied the Swedish language among other
things.
Even though he has studied the language for so short time, he
speaks Swedish in a way that is very impressing and he has much
to tell, both sad things and happy memories which he talks about
with a little smile on his lips. The ambition and the will are
unyielding. |
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Tambwe
studies an education in Sweden called Swedish for immigrants.
It’s an education you have to take to get a residence
permit in Sweden. In this education you study, among other things,
the Swedish language and you also get knowledge how the Swedish
society works. When Tambwe has finished this education he wants
to continue his studies at a Vehicle Engineering Programme in
a Swedish upper secondary school, but his dream is to become
a Swedish soldier.
Tambwe thinks that his life in Sweden is really good and he
likes to study and do different activities that are arranged.
In his spare time he likes to study, spend some time with his
friends and take walks. When I ask him if he feels like he is
exposed to some kind of prejudice he answers, a bit hesitating,
that he doesn’t. But he says that it’s hard to get
the opportunity to talk with Swedish people due to the language.
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The
escape
The reason why he moved to Sweden was because of his father
who came in some political problems. Tambwe´s father used
to work with the former president of the Congo named Kabilla.
When Kabilla died his son was supposed to be the new president
of the Congo.
The problem for Tambwe and his family, and all other famillies
that has worked close to the president, is that the new president
suspected that there are those who have worked for Kabilla that
had killed him. For that reason Tambwe´s father was forced
to flee from the country since the new president wanted to get
him, and all the others that worked with his father, killed.
Tambwe´s father fled to Sweden and after some time four
of his nine children also came here. In the beginning when Tambwe´s
father had fled from Africa no one knew where he was, and all
his children were still in Africa. Tambwe tells me that soldiers
sometimes came banging on the door and asking them where his
father was. But now they all, except from five siblings, live
in Sweden and they like it here. The reason why Tambwe´s
five missing siblings aren’t in Sweden is because that
his father didn’t make it to get them here. They are considered
to be adults and they are supposed to be able to take care of
themselves. They live in Uganda now and Tambwe talks to them
now and then.
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| The
Congo
3.2 million people live in the Congo. The official language
is French, but there are also many local and regional languages.
Tambwe tells me that they talked French and Swahili in school
were he lived. The inhabitants in the Congo are principally
Christian, but there are also traditional African religions
that belives in spirituals beings. |
© 1997-2006 Freeway
Writers: Sofia Annell (sp07-26@park.se)
HTML by: Oscar Croon (te07-57@park.se).
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