Being an Australian

Manyok Yaak, aged 26, knows a thing or two about what it means to be an Australian and how to survive the trauma of transition in the post-migration period.

He arrived Australia as a refugee from the Sudan 8 years ago and has never looked back.

In fact, he loves his adopted country and adores its values. He now wants to be known simply as an Australian, not Sudanese, according to The Australian newspaper report.

“I do not want to live in a country where people call me Sudanese, I think of myself as an Australian”, so says Manyok, as he does the daily battle for survival with great dreams and ambitions running through his veins.

In fact, his work ethic is the envy of all. Come to think of it, he works overnight in a factory, from 10pm to 6am, then goes to sleep. In the afternoon, he goes to the University to further his education before returning to the factory.

A living work-horse from way back, young Manyok is determined to do what it takes to improve himself and to succeed where others fail – the recent Government decision to lower the intake of Sudanese refugees notwithstanding.

The Beauty of Dreams

The hours drifted
Quickly from each other
As you talked
Your way into my life…
Spinning dreams

Behold
The dazzling image of you
On a white
Sea-horse… a woman
Of substance

The secret
River runs
Ever so deeply…
Like the red blood
In my veins

Across
The spectrum of light…
My heart thunders
With desire on the road
To Lagos

The colourful
Butterfly embraced
The smiling daisy…
Sensitive tongues locked
In silence

A delightful
Night of rhythm and poetry
In old Calabar…
Tantalizing aroma of soul
Food tickles my fancy

You, Virgo, stole
My heart in the golden
Dawn of time…
And, yet, I’m still dreaming
Of your essence

We walked
Hand in hand into Nirvana
One glorious night…
The majestic beauty
Of a dream fulfilled


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Whisper of Spring

the honeysuckle
blossoms near the mighty
fountain of delight…
the gentle whisper
of spring

avalanche
of cosmic poems foretold…
the mesmerizing
sound of a different
drum

e-mails from
the naked poet of Oz…
ecstasy
of the lonely
heart

your magic
smile ignites the flame
whose energizing
force brings tears of joy
to my eyes

tempting me
with the forbidden fruit…
sound of heartbeat

you share
your laughter with me
this golden dawn…
a garden full
of dreams

intoxicated
with love, you embrace
the light…
dancing on my shadow
with passion

dining with
the goddess of the moon…
joyful lips

painting
the rainbow with a handful
of dreams…
the nectar of the first
flower of spring

© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Spring Flower

My quest
Leads me to the inner
Sanctum of your
Being, the epicentre
Of great joy

Laughter…
At last, the golden
Treasure unveiled

Deep inside
The heart of Virtue…
Love blossoms
Like the first flower
Of spring

Happiness
Is the free spirit
That sails…
Gently along the secret
Rivers of time

Behold
The dome of pleasure…
Rising from
The lively veins
Of the soul

Sing
To me, lyrebird,
The beautiful
Songs of the waxing
Moon of Oz

Hold me
In your gentle arms
Oh Sweet Violet…
The spring flower
Of my dreams

Ah, the cool
Image of the spring flower…
Dancing in the wind


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Travel Grant

Tony Oyet has been declared the overall winner of the travel grant to attend the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ non-governmental consultations in Geneva this month.

These consultations provide an opportunity for representatives from the refugee sector and the refugees themselves to share their views with the UNHCR on questions of international concern for refugee policy and advocacy.

The travel grant, which is jointly sponsored by the Refugee Council of Australia and Oxfam Australia, covers return flights to Geneva, accommodation and associated expenses for the duration of the UNHCR consultations.

It should be noted that Mr. Oyet is a capable community leader who has worked tirelessly with the new arrivals, on health and resettlement issues, in the emerging communities in South Australia.

His close involvement with the Sudanese community, in particular, has grown rapidly in recent years. And, as the founding member of the Acholi Community Association, he is acutely aware of the significant problems of adaptation and resettlement facing the new generation of African refugees in the Australian society today.

For Mr. Oyet though, it has been a long and difficult journey from the remote community of Juba in Southern Sudan to the city of Adelaide. Tony has also lived in Uganda and was in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya for a couple of years before coming to Australia in 2003.

He leaves Adelaide for Geneva on the 23rd September 2007.

The Temple of Desire

The clatter
Of high heels down
The hallway…
And the sudden end
Of winter

Symphony
Of the larrikin sun of Oz…
Great excitement
In the secret temple
Of desire

A row of pretty
Flowers at the pearly
Gate of life…
The mysterious shades
Of pink abound

Like the dreamtime
Bride, you danced
On my shadow
This golden dawn…artistry
Of the generous heart

You lighten
The mood with the flash
Of your magic smile…
And the earth moves under
The gentle august wind

You showered
Me with your love
And warmth
In perfect style…
Oh limpid eyes

You touched my
Heart with the sweet sound
Of your inner poem…
A soulful stanza of five
Lines sublime

The majestic
Footprints of the cosmic girl
Revealed…
An emotional journey
Of love divine


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Reduction in African Refugee Numbers

The Australian Immigration Minister, Kevin Andrews, has recently announced a significant shift in the country’s refugee and humanitarian program for the 2007-08 financial year.

Consequently, Australia’s refugee intake from the African region will fall from 50 per cent in the last financial year to 30 per cent.

This is partly due to the official concern that African refugees have failed to integrate into the Australian society - although this point is debatable.

Meanwhile, 35 per cent of the new intake will come from Asia. And 35 per cent of places will be reserved for the resettlement of Iraqi Christians.

The Minister acknowledged that African refugees have faced particularly traumatic experiences for prolonged periods of time. And this will make successful settlement and integration difficult.

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