Habiburahman

Sophie Ansel

For the first time, a Rohingya speaks up to expose the persecution facing his people. 'I am three years old and will have to grow up with the hostility of others. I am already an outlaw in my own country, an outlaw in the world. I am three years old, and don't yet know that I am stateless.' Habiburahman was born in 1979 and raised in a small village in western Burma. When he was three years old, the country's military leader declared that his people, the Rohingya, were not one of the 135 recognised ethnic groups that formed the eight 'national races'. He was left stateless in his own country. Since 1982, millions of Rohingya have had to flee their homes as a result of extreme prejudice and persecution. In 2016 and 2017, the government intensified the process of ethnic cleansing, and over 600,000 Rohingya people were forced to cross the border into Bangladesh. Here, for the first time, a Rohingya speaks up to expose the truth behind this global humanitarian crisis. Through the eyes of a child, we learn about the historic persecution of the Rohingya people and witness the violence Habiburahman endured throughout his life until he escaped the country in 2000. First, They Erased Our Nameis an urgent, moving memoir about what it feels like to be repressed in one's own country and a refugee in others. It gives voice to the voiceless.

A Rohingya Speaks

First, They Erased Our Name

Sam Garcia

Burmese Moons

In the jungle of Burma, the Zomi tribe lives modestly and peacefully. Thazama is a young, intrepid Zomi who loves hunting and playing games with his friend Moonpi. But the ensuing bloodbath of the 1988 Burmese revolution changes everything, making them hostages in their own country. Military forces impose strict rule over the people, demanding food and rations, men and women, many of whom will never return. Yet Thazama knows his destiny is to fight for freedom, and once initiated into adulthood he and Moonpi head for the great city of Mandalay, where Thazama continues on his road of no return on a harrowing journey through Southeast Asia, further and further from home.

Sophie Ansel

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