Players/gamers have their own names: Mohamed, Ali, Sahim, Faris, Ahmad, Amar, Fazis, Jamal, Maha,
Salim, Hasam, Amira, Omar, Bilal, Sana, Tarek, Amon, Aršibir, Samir, Hazim, Eslam, Saleh, Fadi, Omran,
Osama, Habib, Aliraza, Razi, Ata, Raham, Ševder, Aram, Ebdula, Baran, Fatma, Ibrahim, Lejla, Harven,
Biđul… Each name has a certain meaning, for example, Bilal means water, Tarek – horseman, Arsibir –
the one who dominates the sky, Habib – the loved one, and Maha means beauty…

They belong to different generations, among them are kids, teenagers, adults, and the elderly; men,
women, transgender people, highly educated and those with no formal education; from urban areas and
far away nomad villages of Asia and Africa. They speak different languages: Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, Kurdish,
Punjabi, Pashto… Some also speak English, German, or French.
Some of them are without legs, fingers, arms, some have sustained head injuries, some are in bruises,
and most have blisters on their feet from walking long distances.
They have in common that they “lost their home, which means the closeness of everyday life. They
have lost their profession, which means confidence that they are of some use in this world. They
have lost the language, which means the naturalness of reaction, the simplicity of gestures, the
untouched expression of feelings.”
(Hana Arent)
Drawings and pictures of their self-portraits and portraits of their family members, friends, random people
they have crossed on the path, as well as their companions, introduce us to their outer and inner world.
They reveal to us their reflections, repressed instinctive feelings, unused potential, their anxieties, hopes,
and thoughts. The mask reveals their desired and unwanted identities, the need to put i t on their face
protected them for at least a moment from the outside world, social pressures, abuse, and harassment.
They felt free and danced with it.

● Sara’s Diary

A diary is a form of work in occupational and art therapy that allows the user to, by regularly writing in it,
relieve stress, connect more deeply with themselves and awaken and maintain their creativity in a period
longer than one session. A diary is a space to document, organize and develop one’s own thoughts and
feelings.
Sarah’s diary is an intimate testimony about the life of an eighteen-year-old girl from Syria, which we
share with you with her consent. The diary is written in four different languages: English, Arabic, Turkish
and Greek, depicting her life on the move. In addition, the diary is filled with drawings and texts that may
resemble the drawings and texts of most girls her age, except that in her diary, among other things, she
illustrates the insomnia she faces while staying at the reception Center in Šid.
Sara regularly came with her brothers and sisters to the occupation workshops that were conducted,

sometimes to participate in them, and sometimes just to share their thoughts and concerns.
When she already filled all her notebooks with drawings, she was given a new drawing pad and pencils,
because drawing and writing mean a lot to her, especially at night because of the insomnia she has.
Before she left with her family to continue further on her journey, she came to say goodbye and gave me
back the drawing pad I gave her, only this time it was filled with her drawings and texts.
That journal is one of the most valuable gifts I have ever received. Sara is a very talented and infinitely
brave girl. We agreed to meet next time at her solo exhibition in Berlin.
Aleksandra Mirimanov

● Messages in passing

Writing, like other expressive methods, in occupational art therapy is present with the intention of
allowing users to express themselves verbally. However, people on the move often have the need to
spontaneously write messages on their own, words that are very important to them, sometimes they are
just elliptical sentences, sometimes they are very long, and sometimes they write a poem.
At every meeting, the participants of the occupational workshops had a chance to anonymously share
their messages, thoughts, experiences with the game, pleasant and unpleasant feelings through a
drawing or a written text.
Some of the messages they shared:
“We need to live in peace, safe and free.” We need to lead our own lifestyle, to study and work. We need
spiritual peace. Don’t hurt people who want to work on themselves, to develop in order to become even
better people.” a girl from Syria
“I left my home because of the war. In the war, I lost my mother and my home. I miss my home. I hope
the war will end so I can return home.” a guy from Syria
“I want to go where I will feel safe.” a girl from Afghanistan
“I hope my family will always be proud of me.” a girl from Syria
“My dad has no money” nine-year-old girl from Syria
“I want endless wishes.” a girl from Syria
“I want to tell all girls and women not to take illegal paths,” a young woman from Afghanistan
“I’m afraid I’ll lose my dad,” a little girl from Syria
“Dreams will grow despite the thorns of life. An elegant flower. I would like our homeland to be the way it
used to be, safe and secure. Everyone is wise while passing on the stories of others. Security in
alienation is the homeland, and fear in the homeland is alienation. Peace in my country, Syria was
created for peace and you saw that. Our dreams vanished while we were still in the cradle. Harsh reality
and unknown future. We are a generation that will never want youth back. Be something beautiful,
beautiful is unforgettable. Money and success do not change people, but reveal their true nature. Faisal
of Syria greets the whole world.”

“We are all the same despite the color of our skin. Whether it’s white, yellow and black. We are children,
not black or white. We all have the same value in society. An end to racism.”
“I want to go to my brothers in Germany. They are very worried about me. Life is very difficult for me. I’m
14 years old. I was always alone. When I was 10 years old, I lost my father. When I was 11 years old I
lost my mother and my life story is very sad but this is my life and I have to take it over. I was the best
student in Afghanistan and I want to become a pilot. Thank you very much.”