This collection of testimonies is the initiative of TodosSomos’s founder, Douglas Lyon, an epidemiologist from Oregon, USA, and a long-time collaborator with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Africa, Asia and Latin America. “The testimonies of the victims,” says Lyon, “are valuable in that they document a tragedy that plays itself out day by day before our eyes. For refugees, telling one’s own story, writing it down in a book, also has a therapeutic value.” Through his work with MSF, Lyon has learned that people can find sharing their stories to be a healing experience.
Beyond the historical and ethnographic importance of collecting testimonies, Lyon points to the importance for the victim of feeling heard and valued. This comes not just through talking, but also through the act of writing by hand. Recording stories on paper to be read multiple times, transcends the fleeting nature of spoken words.
Moreover, Lyon says: “the Venezuelan crisis offers an opportunity that does not exist in Sudan, the Republic of Congo or Myanmar: most of these refugees can read and write because they were schooled in a country that was rich until recently and where universal public education was a reality.”
While many people might not have written by hand for years, the fact that most are able to put their experience on paper offers a rare opportunity to capture the reality and depth of the Venezuelan migration crisis. “It’s important for the world to know,” says Lyon, showing the seven volumes of testimonies he has accumulated since the project began.
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