When Robert Mugabe returned to Zimbabwe in 1979, I was at the University of Zimbabwe, exited about independence, “our” independence. Then I became a lecturer and because of my University job the numerous articles I wrote about “our” independence were published. I then wrote two secondary school books-People Making History, Books 3 and 4 to educate our young men about the values of “our” independence. Little did I know that Mugabe did not think I was a part of that independence! Mugabe was to tell Zimbabweans like me that they were not “liberation” fighters; they would not be included in the land redistribution, pension funds and other benefits. When they challenged these decisions, he organised their torture, jail, rape and murders. Armed Mugabe party supporters formed what were called war veterans armies to raid homes and vandalise human lives and property. Today I am a refugee, guilty like many academics at the time that I failed to notice the deception and that I had to hide and leave my people, the people I taught the values of education to be abused By the Mugabe regime.

All over Africa, people have been deceived by people they trusted. Most of them come with chains of university degrees-doctors, professors, economists- Mugabe is said to have come with seven degrees. People thought they had come to bring an end to the suffering of colonialism, only to find out that life became far worse under black political rule. In the last 10 years, the average African country in sub-Saharan Africa has lost a million lives! Indeed there are countries such as in the DRC, Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia and others where more than five million lives have been lost! In fact in Rwanda it is said that one million of those lives were lost in a10 day genocide. These people were murdered by politicians they initially trusted, voted for and welcomed.

Last week the DRC women got together for a silent commemoration, because the figure of 1 000 000 [one million] rapes in the DRC conflict was reached and passed! Raping the woman is the sign of victory over an enemy man. This rape is usually carried out in front of the whole family, including   children. In Liberia chopping off the hands was the method used; and in Zimbabwe, Mugabe throws victims alive down disused mines.

African people [women, children, everyone] are desperate for someone to save them. They are looking for someone they can trust. They are willing to trust anyone. As a result, not only have some been killed, some  turned into child soldiers, others into child prostitutes, child drug peddlers, adult thieves, and whatever abuse you can think of. Those that have been lucky have managed to escape to become refugees in different parts of Africa and the Diaspora. In their new found places of refuge, they desperately look for someone to save them and help save their parents, sisters, brothers and sometimes even their children that could not escape with them. In Africa the only hope is with the NGO groups and in Europe is the Refugee Community Organisations.

The NGO groups have indeed rescued many starving, injured, raped and other suffering Africans. But almost all their work can be classified as REACTION. Very little of it can be classified as PROACTION. NGOs have researched and produced wonderful reports, with graphs, maps and pictures of suffering Africans. It is from this kind of research we have been able to count the number of women raped in the DRC. But this wonderful work has generally been for themselves and their organisations and this has helped them to receive more support from the UN and EU. But they have failed to help vulnerable Africans save themselves and improve their plight. The violence, rape and murders are often perpetrated by small groups of bandits. If people were trained in self-defence skills they could dramatically reduce the incidence of their attacks.

In the Diaspora, Africans have found relatives of the very people they ran away from waiting for them with messages of hope. Desperate Africans have been cheated by predator Churches. On Sundays refugee community is packed in Churches where millionaire preachers promise them status if they have faith, promise them healing from the diseases they got from African trauma. But they have to pay tithe and offering. Church leaders drive state of the art vehicles from money collected from unemployed asylum seekers. In every service they are told, if they have not yet got the papers they should not worry as long as they know the Lord is always with them!

In the Bradford area there area alone, there are more than 15 RCO groups working for refugees. They meet regularly; produce volumes of minutes, reports, news articles and magazines. They have posters all over Bradford. They receive a lot of support but most of them are not attended by more than one or two refugees. Majority of them do not have a clue about the number of refugees in Bradford, where they stay, what they survive on and indeed how many of them are destitute .Refugee children are still being detained. Asylum seekers are still not allowed to work. They are still denied medical treatment once their support is terminated. And they are still being deported to the African dictatorships they walked away from for months and years before they got someone to help them to get here.

So when we meet, ask for assistance and spend the money that has given to us to run RCOs, do we have the interests of the suffering people we have offered to help? Are we using this money to make their lives better? Do we serve the serve asylum seekers? Do we have the interests of the refugees at heart? Think about it.

May I begin this article by thanking the Lord Mayor of Bradford City, Councillor John D Godward and Lady Mayoress, Mrs Jean Godward for launching the Bradford Refugee Forum website on Monday, 29 March 2010.

Now that we have a website, there are a few worrying issues about the Bradford Refugee Forum [BRF] which I feel we need to address as members of the Bradford refugee community. The BRF, although formed in 2005, is virtually unknown to refugees, asylum seekers and the destitute because it has no office, office staff and No equipment. Although there is a lot of support accessed by other Refugee Forums in West Yorkshire our BRF does not have the knowledge and machinery in place to source support from institutions that have been formalised by the state and from the humanitarian community.

Is it not sad that we claim to represent refugees in the Bradford area, yet we do not even know how many there are, how to reach them, let alone how to help them. It is organisations that are supposed to be affiliated to us that have the numbers, assistance schemes and results. It is these organisations refugees go to because they help them with food, clothes, accommodation and legal advice and support.

May I appeal to the present leaders of the BRF to either come up with strategies to assist refugees or step down from office because there is a lot of talent in the refugee community that is being frustrated by people that seem to have the mentality of Third World politicians that hang on to power at the expense of their nations.

When the UKBA refuses to recognise the talents our members have, is it not our duty to help prove to the UKBA that these refugees are and will be useful to Bradford. Do you know that despite the hardships refugees and asylum seekers have faced here, they have nonetheless been asserts rather than liabilities in the Bradford community. The NHS and Care Agencies, cleaning and security companies and even some farms would not be operating were it not for the support of the refugee community. But I am not talking about these popularly debated contributions and their pros and cons. I am talking of silent contributions made by these people to the clothing and food industries and to the motor trade sector. Every Sunday Bradford churches are packed with neatly dressed refugees driving from half-moving to some of the latest vehicles in Bradford. The money transfer shops at nearly every corner of Bradford rely on refugee support. Half our refugee girls talk on the phone half their lives, so the cell phone and top up companies need refugee as well. All this is money contributed to Bradford by people not allowed to work! Finally there is the Hair pleating industry. The best hair platters are refugees and they have inexhaustible ideas. My friends Bradford would not be the same without refugees!

But refugee contributions to Bradford would be much more pronounced if BRF helped identify talents among refugees and helped place it where it is critically needed. While there are economists, engineers, teachers, nurses and doctors among refugee, theses are not the hidden talents I needs identified, I am talking of men with surviving skills. I talked to many refugees about what they are capable of and I chose these three to show you the unbelievable talent in the Bradford refugee community.

The first is Alexander Chipatiko. Although Alexander was never sent to school by his parents due to poverty and other reasons, Alexander somehow learned to drive. By the time he sought asylum Alexander could drive every type of motor vehicle from car to lorry, truck to bus. As Alexander drove trucks throughout Sub-Saharan Africa he studied all the major languages of the whole region. Today he speaks Zulu, Ndebele, Shona, Chewa, Nyanja and some Swahili. Incredible talent. When he got status he learned to drive the forklift. Before he got status, he joined the UK branch of the Zimbabwean MDC and reached the position of membership in the top executive. He formed the Bradford branch of the MDC and is now also vice chairman of the Zimbabwe Association in Bradford. He learned to play the guitar and the organ and leads the Zimbabwe choir. He is the leader of the Forward in Faith in Bradford He has also done training in care, security, photography and is currently studying English. This man and all his talent have not found a permanent job since he got status and we have done nothing to help him.

Another refugee of outstanding ability is Cathrine Ndiwenyu. Because I need to keep this article short I will not describe the heroic achievement Cathrine made in her native country of Kenya before meeting and marrying David of Uganda. Cathrine is true example of determination. Cathrine and David escaped the problems of the region and claimed asylum in year 2000. Although well educated and had got status in 2003 Cathrine could not get a job in the Leeds/Bradford area. She learned had to plat hair and to do care work. At the same time she went to College to learn to use the Internet, mathematics and business skills. She knew what she wanted, she had the talent but nobody knew her and could help her. Determined to demonstrate what she could do she started a cosmetic business with almost no money. Because no one could give her a reference she could not get support from the banks. On more than one occasions in Leeds she was forced to close. But people of the calibre of Catherine do not give up easily. She moved to Bradford where she set up the Beauty Station. Today the beauty Station in one of the few very successful refugee shops in West Yorkshire. She sells nearly all types of beauty products needed by women. She orders them from United States, Brazil, South Africa, China, Germany-everywhere. She sells on the Internet to the whole world. Yet she is still doing women’s hair, doing care work and nursing. She has recently registered to do a business degree at the Bradford University. She is an example of true talent. If her route had been shortened, she could be right now way ahead, giving more services to people of Bradford and employing more people.

Finally, the story of hidden talents cannot be completed without describing the life of Beatrice Botomani. In fact the women’s’ movement in Bradford and surrounding areas would not be the same if Beatrice had not been sent here by UKBA. She works tirelessly, organising women rights meetings especially through The Outcry Campaign. She has brought women from all walks of life to speak with one voice. She is also active in BIASAN, BRF, City Santuary and New Community Music Development. Throughout the day she is using the Internet to reach as many women as she can teaching them of their rights and how to stand for these rights. She has been detained and forced to stay in the detention centres for indefinite period but she has never looked back about who she is and what her rights are. She has made her teenage children that have been traumatised with her to speak out. Her 14 year old son has written a book about his life in detention. Perhaps her determination is built on a foundation of faith in God. She has a leadership role in the Christ Embassies Church. Through this Church she has turned round the lives of many refugees. Beatrice is a law student.

I could go on citing more examples of talented refugees who could do much more for Bradford if we all supported them and I know you have your own examples. What we need is a system to support all this world of silent talent within the refugee community. Let us make the BRF work.