In 2014, Jean Katumba (photo), a refugee from the Republic of Congo living in Brazil, called on people from other countries who also sought refuge in Brazilian lands for a football tournament. The idea was to leverage the passion for the sport to bring immigrants closer to each other and to society. On March 26, the Refugee Cup, as the event became known, brought together over a hundred immigrants from Africa, Asia, South America, and Central America to celebrate the three-year anniversary of the project.
The tournament took place at the arena of Grêmio Esporte Clube in Porto Alegre (RS).
On and off the field, players from the eight teams that were formed shared their stories of struggle and the reasons that led them to Brazil.
“This is a beloved country because it opens its heart to welcome us with our difficulties. Here we have a chance,” said Jean Katumba, the event leader.
He intends to take the Cup to all regions of the country, with a message for more inclusion and against prejudice.
“We want to show that refugees are not criminals; they did not leave their countries because they committed crimes, they left to escape problems, wars,” he added.
The Refugee Cup was a way to give visibility to the difficulties faced by these foreigners who need to leave their own country to escape conflicts.
As soon as they arrive in Brazil, most are unaware of the spoken language, find it difficult to get jobs, lack housing, and cannot access social services.
During the Cup, they were able to clarify doubts about documentation, access to the job market, and undergo medical examinations. The champion of the 3rd Refugee Cup was Senegal, and the runner-up was Colombia.
Brazil is the Most Requested in Latin America
Brazil is the Latin American country most requested by refugees, having received more asylum requests than Australia and almost the same amount as Canada. Currently, there are 8,400 refugees from 81 countries, according to the latest survey by the National Committee for Refugees. Most of them are from Syria (23%), followed by Colombia, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The number of asylum requests to the Brazilian government increased 22 times between 2010 and 2014, from 1,165 to 25,996, according to data from the Ministry of Justice released in June.
By Debora Maia
Twitter: @_maiadebora with information from the UN agency