Amnesty film night in Letterkenny

Over 80 people came to watch the film Aisha in the ATU at a recent screening organised by Amnesty International and ATU Law Society.

Aisha follows the journey of a young Nigerian woman’s experiences in the direct provision system as she waits for her claim for asylum or international protection to be processed. The film arose through a long collaboration between Frank Berry, the director, and the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI). As a result, it is a very accurate and moving portrayal of the difficulties of this situation.

As Frank explained later, the film moves slowly, as time in direct provision does, as people wait.

“Wait for a post from the Department of Justice or Social Protection, wait to be allowed to work, wait for their interview with the International Protection Office, wait for the verdict, wait for appeal dates, lives often on hold for many months, if not years.

“Many people, not all, live in congregated settings, such as former hotels or convents, they cannot cook for themselves, can only eat at certain times, and often cannot have visitors.

“Many centres are very overcrowded, and several strangers usually share a room, which can be very difficult over a long period of time. People can be moved from one centre to another, often with very little notice, meaning they have to leave jobs and schools and start again all traumatic experiences.

“Many centres are located in remote areas with infrequent transport links, which increases isolation and makes integrating into local communities difficult. All these issues we see in the film. People have very limited control over their lives and live in continual fear that they will not receive international protection. Letitia Wright and Josh O Connor are superb in the main roles,” he said.

Discussion after the film was led by Frank, Lucky Khambule, founder of MASI, and Tumi Gaonwe, a member of the cast of Aisha, who lives in Letterkenny.

Lucky spent three years in direct provision and founded MASI to support others in that situation and advocate for greater rights for people seeking asylum. He was one of the main activists involved in the campaign to allow asylum seekers to work. In 2017 the Supreme Court ruled the absolute ban on asylum seekers working was unconstitutional, so now asylum seekers can work and use their skills to benefit our communities, and the vast majority of them do. Lucky emphasised that people want to be able to contribute to society and support themselves. Many people seeking asylum also help local voluntary organisations such as the Tidy Towns, SVP, and Parkrun.

Some members of the audience spoke movingly of their experiences in direct provision, including in Donegal, and how they have been able to access education and employment since gaining refugee status and now feel part of the community.

Lucky emphasised many Irish people are very welcoming towards people seeking asylum but they don’t understand how the system works. This evening provided everyone with great insight into the system.