I still remember exactly
the feelings
I got
while I heard the news
and saw
the bodies of my cousins. Hasan, Iraq
It was 2002
suddenly the people started
killing people from our community
by target killings
bomb blasts Shazia, Pakistan
suicide attacks in the community. Shazia, Pakistan
We were attacked by
the terrorists of Boko Haram.
I have a hand that is crushed. Parfait, Cameroon
My youngest daughter
she went to a summer camp
and there was this
extreme right terrorist
who came to the island Lisbeth, Norway
and started shooting and aiming at them. Lisbeth, Norway
She was one of the sixty-nine
people that were killed there.
I ran towards the exit
but as I reached the exit
I heard another blast Hassan, Uganda
and with that I saw people falling Hassan, Uganda
down like rain. Hassan, Uganda
I was going to work
but on this day I didn’t get there
I woke up around twenty days later Laura, Spain
in a hospital and I didn’t know Laura, Spain
what had happened to me. Laura, Spain
I lost my brother
in the attack
of the café restaurant Argana
in the square in Marrakech. Idriss, Morocco
My brother was a waiter in that café. Idriss, Morocco
A bomb had been placed on board
that plane
by extremists
and on that flight Susheel, Canada
I lost my mother. Susheel, Canada
She was thirty-seven Susheel, Canada
and I was twelve-years-old at the time.
I’m certainly willing to say
it robbed me of my childhood
robbed me of my innocence
made me doubt the world that we have around us
but it also shaped me in terms of
my commitment towards truth and justice.
Connecting with people
really helped me.
Sharing the same feelings
Sharing the same pain
I thought OK, so I’m not alone
I’m not isolated
I’m with the community
because when you speak to other people
who have experienced such awful terror attacks
we always have something in common
because you have to fight to survive
and thanks to connections
that fight is much more bearable.
We are connected
by our common story as victims.
That connection makes me feel understood
it makes me feel cared for
I feel the empathy.
Being connected
to the international community for example
makes me feel the global nature of the problem.
These connections are the change-makers.
They are affecting the laws
the persons, the authorities, to think, to bring change
to serve the goals of combatting hatred
combatting extremism, combatting terrorism.
During COVID many people have been
sitting alone in their homes.
For example right now I’m in a lockdown
I’m home, I’m isolated.
I think that for the victims of terrorism it’s even harder
to experience this solitude.
We must remain in contact
we must remain in communication
Because of this forced reliance on technology
I’m willing to say I have been able to
connect with more people
because it has become a routine.
The connections keep us powerful
even during the lockdown
but I do think that human touch
that human face to face is so important
to connection with people.
A hug or a kiss with your loved ones has been sorely missed.
Face to face has been missing for almost one and a half years
and that has been really traumatic for somebody.
So my message to other victims around the world
who are going through COVID
is to know there are individuals like myself
around the world
who share your experience
we share your loss, we share your grief.
Trauma can break us down
but remaining connected
to the people around us
reaching out to our families, our friends
it makes us stronger.
We need to be active, we need to speak out
we need to share our stories
and to demand the change.
Tell the story
so that people don’t forget those who were killed.
Remain united, in communication, in relationship.
Join us
give your hand to my hand
let’s take others hands in our hands
and connected we will be powerful
we will be strong.
Become connected
because I think that’s what holds us all up to be strong
to stand up
to cry together, to laugh together, to get angry together
but to feel motivated together.
We should not be afraid
and remember
the world is more good than bad.
The victims of terrorism featured in this film worked together to create the following poem on the importance of connections and what it means to them
An Ode to Connections
The trauma experienced through terrorism breaks you
but it also bonds you.
Connection is a human experience
it ties and bonds us together
in ways that we can both see and feel.
Without connections
we are bound to remain isolated.
Connections preserve love and passion
as well as strengthen and maintain
inner resilience within our community.
In my recovery
it was the power of human connection
that saved me from the darkest times
when the act of breathing felt too hard.
Through my connections
I have gained strength and shared my pain with others.
This has helped me greatly:
both individually and collectively.
It is because of connections with others
that I have been able to live again.
and, has shown how important connections truly are.
Connections give me a strong voice.
It empowers us
to counter the terrorist narrative and hate speech.
It speeds up my recovery and resilience.
Through contact and communications:
new ideas are generated
information, knowledge, experiences
and skills are exchanged.
And, while we are able to connect remotely
what is important is that hug
that smile
that comforting hand or glance
and ultimately the natural flow of tears.
We are all connected
in the strength
we have had to teach ourselves
in our resilience
and our desire to make the world
a more connected place.
By standing together
we are not alone.
Our gratitude to: Hassan Ndugwa Parfait Kari Wadjoré Susheel Gupta Shazia Khan Adelaide Stratton Lisbeth Røyneland Laura Jiménez Hasan Wahhab Hadi Al Araji Idriss Bouzidi Moulay