Syrian-Canadian Author Shines a Light on Refugee Experience and Inclusivity for Young Minds at the Junior School

October 13, 2023

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GNS

Ramadan’s picture books—Salma the Syrian Chef, and early chapters books Salma Makes a Home and Salma Writes a Book—are all part of a continuing story about a Syrian refugee child finding her way in a new community in Canada.

“I believe that writing about the refugee experience has been limited in the past to stories about war and destruction, and that has a narrative of there is bad and here is good,” said Ramadan.

While writing the series, he explained that his goal was to present the nuanced and complex aspects of this topic in an approachable way for children.

“We are allowed to have complex emotions,” he gently explained to an eagerly inquiring crowd. The question asked had been “Do you ever miss Syria?” Grappling with having your heart in two places is something that Ramadan dealt with himself as a refugee in Vancouver, and he has aimed to capture that same feeling in the stories of Salma.

He explained that though many are grateful to come away from a war-torn country, there are also difficult emotions around missing one’s family, culture and place of origin. Born-Canadians can influence a refugee’s experience in a new society, either positively or negatively, he added.

Junior School Teacher Librarian, Sarah McLeod, organized Ramadan’s speech for the blustery Tuesday morning following Thanksgiving weekend.

McLeod knew that bringing him in to talk to the students would fit well with their learning about diversity and inclusion. The stories also fit in with student learning on gathering primary sources of information and gathering expert information as a primary source, said McLeod.

“We talk about where this information is coming from, looking at what stories experts are sharing with us and how we cite this information if we’re sharing it for a research purpose,” said McLeod. This all ties into academic honesty, she added.

Grade 4 student, Inaya, said that she learned during Ramadan’s presentation that it’s really hard to be in the midst of war and that it’s also challenging for newcomers to Canada to find their place in their careers since credentials are often overlooked. “It’s hard if you’re from somewhere else to get people to know that you’re an author,” she said.

“I’ve never really read about that culture before so I thought the book was cool,” said another Grade 4 student Piper. She added that the book helped her understand the refugee experience better.

“I really like how he explained what it was like being a refugee and how he moved to Canada,” said a third Grade 4 student Jacey. She added that she now has a better understanding of why refugees come to Canada, especially when they were once living under a dictatorship.

Ramadan’s books cover a lot of learning ground as it touches on the Syrian refugee crisis, coming to a new country, finding belonging in community, nurturing culture and diversity and feeling part of where you are and who you are as a person, concluded McLeod.