On 14 January 2025, the Institute for Global Governance Research (GGR) at Hitotsubashi University invited Mr. Wani Robert Lupai Victor, a master’s student at the Hitotsubashi University School of International and Public Policy, as a speaker for GGR talk session entitled “My Experience as a Refugee in Africa.”
Mr. Lupai pointed out that the number of refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers in Africa is around 30 million, accounting for almost a third of the world’s refugee population. He explained the background of refugees in Africa using a pie chart and other materials.
Mr. Lupai then talked about his own experiences as a refugee. Showing photos of the educational facilities he attended as a child, he talked about his past applications for refugee status, receiving food, housing, medical care, and other necessities of life while moving to different areas, obtaining land for agricultural work, and the process of integrating into the local community.
He also described the various difficulties he experienced in the refugee camp. Among others, these included limited water supply transported by tanker truck; daily shortages of the firewood used for fuel; difficulty building structures due to the many rocky areas; thefts of goods; and natural disasters caused by heavy rain and mosquitoes.
He reflected on how his second life as a refugee, which began in 2016, was different from his first life as a refugee, which was difficult due to poverty. He talked about having to flee to Uganda without his family, due to conflict and ethnic disputes, and how he was attacked by thugs on the way there. He also explained Uganda’s current refugee policy, which allows refugees to choose where to stay, own businesses, be employed, and mix with the host communities. This policy enables refugees to access resources such as land and wood for family use.
Finally, Mr. Lupai called for international cooperation to help refugees: governments, NGOs, and the international community coming up with solutions that respect the human rights of refugees; donating to organizations that support refugees; raising awareness of the refugee crisis in local communities, and carrying out volunteer activities to protect the rights of refugees.
During the Q&A session Mr. Lupai was asked which actors provide social support to help refugees communicate with their families. He said that, especially in the context of refugee relief, partners such as international organizations play the most important role.
【Event Report prepared by】
Feng Yan (Master’s student, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University)
Kenta Kumasaka (Master’s student, School of International Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University)
Takahiro Nakajima (Master’s student, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University)
