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04.11.16 1:52 pm
daily life in the zaatari refugee camp

one can witness an incredible demonstration of resourcefulness and resilience when observing daily life in the zaatari refugee camp.
perhaps the most obvious example of this strength of spirit is the vibrant main drag that runs through the camp. since it first opened in the summer of 2012 zaatari has established and seen flourish an impressive, informal and largely underground economy. the camp features a main road entitled champs-elysees (a play on the parisian shopping destination, this market is the thriving core of what is now jordan’s fourth-largest population centre) where one can get a haircut, shop in a produce market, rent a wedding gown or buy ice cream.
while markets such as the champs-elysees are not the most common sight in refugee camps, exiled populations throughout the world have long demonstrated tremendous resourcefulness and are never completely dependent on humanitarian assistance.

we should be very hesitant to call zaatari a “city” or refer to what those in the camp have been able to do as anything that resembles “normalcy”.

it is absolutely true that those in zaatari are doing everything that they can to make the best of a very difficult situation.

but it is not, nor will it ever be, normal to be living behind a barbed wire fence, in a tent or a caravan, and to be deprived of the freedom of movement.

it is not normal, nor will it ever be, to live in a situation where an entire population lacks the rights and entitlements of citizens.

and it is certainly not normal to wake up each day not knowing when or even if you will ever be able to return to the place that you consider to be your home.