On view from August 24 to November 12, 2021 at the Northern Illinois University Art Museum
This exhibition is based on work done by NIU PhD and MA students who either lived within the refugee camps along the Burma-Thai border or who worked with Illinois Karen Refugee communities for the last ten years. The goal is to share the refugee experience and foster a first-person narrative tying the minority Karen refugee experience to a more global perspective, engaging visitors in a critical dialogue on forced migration, displacement, and what visitors can do to advocate for local refugee communities.
Who are the Karen?
The Karen (ka-RIN) are an ethnic group from Burma/Myanmar in Southeast Asia. Of more than 135 ethnic groups in that country, the Karen have the fourth largest population. Burma was colonized by Britain in the 1800s. When Burma gained independence from the UK in 1948, the Karen expected to regain their land rights. Conflict began as the new Burmese government did not agree. The military regime that was established in 1962 continues to contest the land and to oppress the Karen and other ethnic groups every dry season by burning villages, raping, and killing. Consequently, many members of ethnic groups have been forced to flee their homeland to neighboring countries. In 2007, Karen refugees began to be resettled in Aurora, Illinois.
About the project
Oral histories were collected from Karen refugees in Aurora which suggested geographical periods in the migration process:
- life in Burma
- life in a refugee camp
- life in America
- In Burma, the Karen felt fear
- In the refugee camps, the Karen felt confined
- In America, the Karen feel free
Living in Fear
In Burma, the Karen live in lush mountainous terrain in small villages. Households are maintained through self-sustaining farming, fishing in nearby streams, and hunting and gathering in the jungle. Even though life is hard, Burma is home to the Karen refugee. The landscape and traditional way of life are remembered fondly. But home was not peaceful. The Karen have been the target of ethnic civil war for more than 50 years. They were constantly afraid the Burmese military would arrive and destroy their homes and families. The Karen were not free to live because they were in constant fear.
Living in Confinement
In Burma, the Karen were not free to live in peace because they lived in constant fear. The only option left to them was to flee. The route taken by each village was different. Sometimes the villagers evacuated and never returned. Other times the villagers would attempt to live in the jungle until the Burmese soldiers left and then they would return to rebuild. Eventually a village would abandon hope of living in Burma and decide to make the arduous trek to save their lives by fleeing to temporary refugee camps in neighboring Thailand.
Once in a camp, the surviving refugees were given necessities and were safe from the Burmese soldiers. Despite their being there voluntarily, the Thai government did not allow the Karen refugees to leave the camps. The refugees felt oppressed, dehumanized, powerless, and confined.
Once in a camp, the surviving refugees were given necessities and were safe from the Burmese soldiers. Despite their being there voluntarily, the Thai government did not allow the Karen refugees to leave the camps. The refugees felt oppressed, dehumanized, powerless, and confined.
Pathway to Freedom
In international law, a stateless person is "not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law." Many people cannot return to their first country, the country they were born in, due to persecution or conflict. Instead, they have fled to a second country, the country of asylum, seeking shelter and safety. When repatriation to the first country remains an impossibility, many consider resettlement in a third country, a country that has agreed to admit them and ultimately grants them permanent settlement.
For the Karen refugees, the decision to leave the refugee camps and resettle in a third country was an attempt to once again flee oppression, to regain a portion of their humanity, to recapture their independence, and to finally feel free. Despite living in the camps for many years, not every refugee wanted to relocate to a third country. The thought of permanently leaving everything behind haunts many.
For the Karen refugees, the decision to leave the refugee camps and resettle in a third country was an attempt to once again flee oppression, to regain a portion of their humanity, to recapture their independence, and to finally feel free. Despite living in the camps for many years, not every refugee wanted to relocate to a third country. The thought of permanently leaving everything behind haunts many.
Living in Freedom
Karen refugees continue to struggle on many levels, especially economically and linguistically, which stifles their ability to take advantage of all opportunities once promised them in the refugee camps. Yet, compared to life in Burma and the refugee camps, life in United States provides long sought freedom. Now, the refugees do not have hopes and dreams for themselves but for future generations.
Many sacrificed ties to their homeland and endured the humiliation of the refugee camps in order to save their lives. Upon resettlement, many adults acknowledge that they are the link between the horrors of life in Burma and the hopes for life in their new country. Learning the truth about their heritage from those who lived it, the next generation feels the responsibility to not let the suffering and sacrifice be in vain but to live out the hopes and dreams of the community.
Many sacrificed ties to their homeland and endured the humiliation of the refugee camps in order to save their lives. Upon resettlement, many adults acknowledge that they are the link between the horrors of life in Burma and the hopes for life in their new country. Learning the truth about their heritage from those who lived it, the next generation feels the responsibility to not let the suffering and sacrifice be in vain but to live out the hopes and dreams of the community.
This project was funded with the generous support of the Luce Foundation, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and the Center for Burma Studies.