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“I was in math class minding my
business,” said Dadiri Muya, a refugee from Somalia and student at
Roosevelt High School. “I felt empowered because I knew the
lesson.”
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Before a
crowd of about 100 people, Dadiri clenched his jaw as he prepared
to tell the second part of the story. He was one of 13 refugee
teens who performed recently with the International Playground, a
performing arts group for refugee and immigrant teens, in the show
“A Power Play.”
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The teens
wrote the play based on their “experiences of power” as refugees,
coming to the U.S. and living in St. Louis. The show was held at
St. John’s Episcopal Church in South City.
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“Then Charles
started talking smack,” he said. “But I left it alone. I felt in
control. Then it was time for lunch, and he pushed me out of line.
I let it go. He couldn’t touch me.”
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Finally,
Dadiri said that he lost his patience at the third offense, and he
told Charles to meet him after school. Dadiri beat up Charles in a
bloody fight, and the cops immediately took him away in handcuffs.
He spent seven months in juvenile detention.
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“I felt
powerless because no one would hear my story,” he said. “I still
carry that anger at injustice.”
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Dadiri was
actually telling the story to the play’s narrator,
Super Power
Agent 2011, played by
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Jorida Petritaj from Albania.
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“I am my own
boss specializing in gathering stories of power: people who are
struggling, who have lost all control, and people who have
empowered themselves to achieve their goals,” Super Power Agent
2011 told the audience.
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She told
Dadiri that his story is important for everyone to hear.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I hope that sharing it will help you release at least some of your anger at this injustice,” she said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Designed to facilitate the healing process of young refugees and immigrants, International Playground is a program of the Center of Survivors of Torture and War Trauma, 1077 Newstead Ave.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>This year, about half of the participants were from Bhutan (a small nation in South Asia), and the other half were from East and West Africa. Almost all are Roosevelt High School students, because the school is close to the International Institute, a relocation agency.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Mark Pagano, program director, has participated in six of the group’s seven annual performances. A continual theme of the students’ stories over the years is racism among students at Roosevelt, he said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“From my understanding, the group members had seen each other in the halls, but they had not had too much interaction because there is some segregation among students,” Pagano said. “It was really great to bring them together and give them this common experience.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Emmanuel Wesseh, age 19, from Liberia said his favorite part of the program was the day of the show.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“We thought there would only be like 10 people, but there was a lot,” he said. “What I felt was all the way back home.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Wesseh said he wants to go to college so he can return to Liberia and help rebuild the war-torn country.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“We have to be the good people who go back home and do something good for the community,” he said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Muya Muya, from Nairobi, Kenya, said he was a little nervous when he saw the crowd, “but I just gave it everything I had.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“If you want to put your heart into something, try something new and meet a new person, you could do it,” Muya said. “You just have to dedicate yourself and put that extra effort.”
