Gulwali Passarlay

A gripping, inspiring, and eye-opening memoir of fortitude and survival—of a twelve-year-old boy’s traumatic flight from Afghanistan to the West—that puts a face to one of the most shocking and devastating humanitarian crises of our time. “To risk my life had to mean something. Otherwise what was it all for?” In 2006, after his father was killed, Gulwali Passarlay was caught between the Taliban who wanted to recruit him, and the Americans who wanted to use him. To protect her son, Gulwali’s mother sent him away. The search for safety would lead the twelve-year-old across eight countries, from the mountains of eastern Afghanistan through Iran and Europe to Britain. Over the course of twelve harrowing months, Gulwali endured imprisonment, hunger, cruelty, brutality, loneliness, and terror—and nearly drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Eventually granted asylum in England, Gulwali was sent to a good school, learned English, won a place at a top university, and was chosen to help carry the Olympic Torch in the 2012 London Games. In The Lightless Sky, Gulwali recalls his remarkable experience and offers a firsthand look at one of the most pressing issues of our time: the modern refugee crisis—the worst displacement of millions of men, women, and children in generations. Few, like Gulwali, make it to a country that offers the chance of freedom and opportunity. A celebration of courage and determination, The Lightless Sky is a poignant account of an exceptional human being who is today an ardent advocate of democracy—and a reminder of our responsibilities to those caught in terrifying and often deadly circumstances beyond their control.

A Twelve-Year-Old Refugee's Harrowing Escape from Afghanistan and His Extraordinary Journey Across Half the World

The Lightless Sky

A Twelve-Year-Old Refugee's Extraordinary Journey Across Half the World

Nadene Ghouri

În 2006, după ce tatăl şi bunicul lui au fost ucişi de armata americană, Gulwali Passarlay a fost trimis de mama sa departe de Afganistan. Avea 12 ani. A pornit într-o călătorie lungă şi anevoioasă, în cursul căreia a fost închis, a suferit de foame şi a fost victima cruzimii şi a violenţei. A fost cât pe ce să-şi piardă viaţa în adâncurile Mării Mediterane, a îndurat brutalitatea celor care ar fi trebuit să aibă grijă de copii şi a stat o lună într-un lagăr din Calais. A reuşit în cele din urmă să ajungă în Marea Britanie, unde a fost înscris la şcoală, fiind admis apoi la una dintre universităţile de elită. Asemenea lui, mii de oameni îşi riscă viaţa încercând să fugă din zonele de conflict. Mulţi mor în cursul călătoriei; unii sunt trimişi înapoi, urmând să fie închişi sau omorâţi; puţini sunt cei ce supravieţuiesc şi ajung în ţări care le oferă o nouă şansă. Gulwali povesteşte despre hotărârea şi curajul care triumfă împotriva tuturor adversităţilor.

Cer întunecat. Fuga unui copil din Afganistan în Marea Britanie

Gulwali Passarlay wuchs in einer traditionellen afghanischen Paschtunen-Familie auf. Mit nur 12 Jahren schickt ihn seine Mutter Richtung Europa, um ihn vor dem blutigen Konflikt der Taliban mit den US-Soldaten zu retten, dem bereits sein Vater zum Opfer gefallen war. Seine Flucht ist eine atemberaubende Odyssee durch acht verschiedene Länder, die er als Junge alleine bewältigen muss: das vollständige Ausgeliefertsein an die Schlepper, gefährliche Grenzübertritte, Hunger und Erschöpfung, Gefängnisaufenthalte, eine Bootsfahrt übers Mittelmeer, die er nur haarscharf überlebt. Nach zahllosen Versuchen gelingt ihm schließlich die Einreise in England, wo er sich mit großem Bildungshunger ein neues Leben aufbaut. Die packend erzählte und emotional aufrüttelnde Geschichte eines Flüchtlingsjungen, der es geschafft hat, sich in der westlichen Welt zu behaupten.

Gulwali Passarlay

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