By Nasa Maria Entaban
When Ahmed Bashir Mohamed first came to Malaysia from war-torn Somalia four years ago, he couldn’t speak a word of English.
Now, the 16-year-old boy spends his days teaching fellow Somalis English and Maths, having improved tremendously over the past few years thanks to a learning centre called Fugee.
The centre, located in the Klang Valley, was set in motion by the UN Refugee Agency and Miss Universe Malaysia 2011 and refugee rights advocate Deborah Henry, who gave Ahmed English lessons.
Along with his two younger sisters and older cousin, who he came to Malaysia with, Ahmed has made a life for himself, and is going to tell his story in the seventh instalment of The Actors Studio’s Life series.
“When I came here at 12 years old I couldn’t form one sentence (of English),” recalls Ahmed. “Even going to shops, I couldn’t ask the cashier how much items were – I used hand gestures to communicate.”
He has come a long way from then. Apart from teaching single mothers and young children, he is taking up classes in management, accounting, human resources and business at HELP University.
On weekends, he attends photography classes; he winds down by playing football.
“Malaysia is very different from Somalia. Malaysia is at peace, you are not hearing shotguns, life is good, and there is education,” says Ahmed.
After four years of learning English, he is ready to tell his story.
“People will say ‘hey, this guy when he came to Malaysia he didn’t know anything’. A lot of refugees here now might believe they cannot do anything.
“If I tell my story, people will see that if you try, you can do it, too,” says Ahmed.
This is his first attempt at performing on stage, even though he has done some traditional Somali dance performances. Ahmed admits to being a little nervous about the show, but he is also determined to tell his story.
“I hope that people will know more about refugees, and see that I am a teenager who is working hard, trying to learn something and making a new life for myself,” says Ahmed.
Life Sdn Bhd 7: Refugees is a collaboration with the UNHCR and will feature seven men and women from Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Somalia sharing their stories. The show is from Oct 26-30 (8.30pm), at The Actors Studio, Lot 10, Jalan Sultan Ismail, KL. Tickets start from RM23. Call 03-2142 2009 or 03-2143 2009; visit www.theactorsstudio.com.my or www.unhcr.org.my for more information.
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