Group 5: Refugee Memories and Documentation

About this exhibit

Refugees are often represented as victims of fear, persecution, and violence. When refugees are consistently represented solely as victims without further depth or context, refugees become viewable as objects of romanticized narratives. This results in the erasure of refugees’ individualities, lived experiences, and multidimensionality as people, as well as the disacknowledgement of communities in which refugees uplift each other and coexist.

In this exhibit, we aim to address these issues through an exploration of artifacts from both Greco-Roman classical antiquity and the contemporary Vietnamese diaspora, and hope to expand current incomplete understandings of refugeehood. We will look at these artifacts through the lens of Feminist Refugee Epistemology (FRE), defined by the Critical Refugee Studies Collective as

“a kind of looking practice that interrogates the less visible and more quotidian details of refugee lives” while acknowledging “the hidden and overt injuries that refugees experience.”

FRE seeks to understand refugeehood in a broader context and highlights the joy in the everyday lives of refugees.

Selected Greco-Roman Artifacts

Below is our selection of artifacts from Greco-Roman classical antiquity which illustrate the journey and refugeehood of the hero Aeneas. These artifacts illustrate romanticized narratives about refugees, one of fear, persecution, and violence, and one of asylum and celebration.

Source: British Museum

Flight of Aeneas

Pictured on the front of this pottery is Aeneas fleeing after the fall of the city of Troy. He is carrying his father Anchises on his shoulders while wearing full armor and holding a Boeotian shield and two spears. Behind Aeneas is perhaps the Greek goddess Aphrodite as well as an archer. The back of the pottery features combat of three warriors. What narratives are being communicated depicting him fleeing in this way?

Source: British Museum

Arrival of Aeneas

Displayed in The British Museum, this relief depicts the arrival of Aeneas, with his son Ascanius behind him, receiving asylum after landing on the shores of Latium, Italy. On the lower left is the sow who tells him to found a city at Rome. This is a romanticized representation where refugees are celebrated and welcomed to the city at the end of a long journey. In reality many do not feel welcomed, and the journey as a refugee does not end after resettlement. It is possible this marble relief was displayed in Rome, perhaps on an altar.

Selected Vietnamese Refugee Artifacts

Below is our selection of Vietnamese refugee artifacts, accompanied by the stories behind the owners and creators of each object. A key thread tying all of these objects together is that they were all created or used by their owners while in prisons or refugee camps. Each object uniquely showcases the owner's resourcefulness, creativity, and determination to preserve their memories and connections to their community.

Aluminum Birthday Card

A hand-engraved piece of aluminum meant as a birthday card for the creator's daughter. This item showcases the creator's determination to maintain his connection to his family despite being imprisoned, since he was prepared to give up his daily food ration in exchange for a piece of metal to engrave a message for his daughter. The piece of aluminum ended up being gifted to the creator by a fellow prisoner, and the finished card was delivered to his family by a prison visitor, highlighting the solidarity and community among Vietnamese refugees.

Violin

A handmade violin using scrapped materials like bicycle brake cables, nylon wires, and buffalo hide. This item showcases the resilience and creativity of the maker, since he was able to maintain his connection to his family by crafting this instrument and hiding messages for them inside of it. The violin also highlights the strong community ties between Vietnamese refugees because the maker was inspired by other prisoners who sang while pretending to play the guitar with pieces of scrap wood when guards weren't around.

Diary of Refugee in Thai Prison

A taped-up diary containing detailed entries describing the owner's escape from Vietnam and captivity in a Thai prison. This item serves as a reminder of the power of memory, as shown by the owner's meticulous documentation of his own experiences despite being surrounded with uncertainty and life-threatening situations.

Wooden Chest of Refugee Mementos

A chest made from repurposed wooden boards and pot handles, holding mementos from the owner's time at an Indonesian refugee camp. This item showcases the resourcefulness of the owner, creating a container for his important keepsakes in order to preserve his memory and life outside of being a refugee.

Bắc Phong Từ Võ Hạnh's Birthday Card

In the 1970s, Bắc Phong Từ Võ Hạnh, a former officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and a martial arts instructor, was imprisoned in Long Giao Prison, Long Khánh, Vietnam. Separated from his wife and daughter, he found solace and connection by crafting various aluminum gifts, including a birthday card for his daughter. This card, created from a thin piece of aluminum measuring approximately 6 x 11 cm and 2 mm thick, was donated by a fellow imprisoned friend. Bắc Phong engraved Vietnamese words onto this rectangular plate, symbolizing his enduring bond with his family despite the challenging conditions. This creation not only bridged the physical gap between Bắc Phong and his daughter, thanks to a prison visitor who delivered the card, but also highlighted the vital role of community within the prison. His fellow inmate chose not to accept food in exchange for the aluminum, instead encouraging Bắc Phong to persevere and cherish the joy of gift-giving. Reflecting on the deep communal bonds formed under such dire circumstances, Bắc Phong noted, "..only people in the same situation could understand each other through tribulation." This aluminum birthday card, later donated to the Vietnamese Heritage Museum by Bắc Phong himself, now stands as a testament to the resilience and community of Vietnamese refugees.

Lê Trị's Violin

In 1976, Lê Trị, a former Captain in Unit 101 of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and an intelligence officer, crafted a violin in a prison camp in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, drawing on skills he honed while volunteering as a carpenter during his imprisonment. Inspired by his fellow prisoners who mimed playing guitars with logs and sang military songs in secret, Lê Trị decided to create real instruments, starting with a wooden guitar and then this violin, using Vang Tam wood shaped with broken glass and bonded with buffalo hide glue. The strings were made from bicycle brake cables, and messages for his family were hidden inside, successfully smuggled out despite the risks. He faced solitary confinement and was beaten with a hammer for making these instruments. Yet, Lê Trị persisted, driven by a belief that "making others happy means creating joy for yourself," which not only sustained his spirit but also brought hope and unity to his community. He attributes his motivation for continuing to make his instrument despite the consequences to his passion for learning new things and creating joy for himself by making others happy. The violin was later donated to the Vietnamese Heritage Museum.

Nguyên Văn Đoàn's Diary

In the 1980s, Nguyên Văn Đoàn, a Vietnamese refugee, kept a diary while imprisoned in Thailand following an escape attempt from Vietnam. The diary, with a pink paper cover adorned with flowers and a white bunny, secured with painter's tape, details his harrowing journey. Fleeing Vietnam by boat with about 100 others, they faced two brutal pirate attacks. The first attack tragically resulted in the abduction of a girl by Thai pirates. In a fierce second encounter, they fought back, killing several pirates, which led to the arrest of Nguyên Văn Đoàn and 18 other refugees by Thai police, resulting in nearly a year of imprisonment. This diary, later donated to the Vietnamese Heritage Museum, encapsulates not only these intense experiences but also the resilience and solidarity of the refugees, showing the profound challenges and the spirit of Vietnamese refugees during this tumultuous period.

Note: The pages in this journal have been redacted to protect the privacy of the owner and their family.

Lê Xuân Mùi's Wooden Chest

In 1990, Lê Xuân Mùi, a Vietnamese refugee, crafted a wooden chest from repurposed materials while at the Galang refugee camp in Indonesia. The wood came from decaying camp barracks, and the aluminum handle and clasps were fashioned from materials like pots provided by the UNHCR. This chest, which Mùi used to store mementos from his time at the camp, symbolizes his resilience and resourcefulness under difficult circumstances. Arriving at the camp after multiple escape attempts from Vietnam, Mùi's journey was marked by challenges, yet he found ways to adapt and survive. This chest, later donated to the Vietnamese Heritage Museum by Mùi, not only serves as a poignant reminder of his journey and the experiences of many refugees but also stands as a testament to the enduring spirit and ingenuity of those who navigate life in exile. Reflecting on his experiences, Mùi noted, “...I just want those who have been fortunate to be resettled somewhere that they will forever cherish the rare and noble status of being a communist refugee, one of the Boat People..." This quote underscores the deep sense of community and the unique experiences that shape the unqiue expeinces and identity of refugees.

Closing remarks

Through the preservation of artifacts, refugees are able to share their stories with the public and take control of the narrative that otherwise may communciate harmful stereotypes. The refugees represented by the artifacts in this exhibit documented their memories in the form of objects. We hope to preserve these memories so that their stories can continue to reach and resonate with members of the community.