Culture
Refuge-e: The Journey Much Desired
Also known as Refuge-E: The Journey Much Desired
Njamba Koffi's 2018 memoir, published under the name John Michael Koffi, follows a young Congolese refugee through Dzaleka and Mpaka camps and his pursuit of education.
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Narrative
Refuge-e follows a young person identified in the book as John after his family leaves the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The narrative covers life in Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, a later move to Mpaka Camp in Eswatini, and the educational opportunities that eventually take him to United World College in Germany and university in Canada.
Education is central to the memoir. The book records school leadership, academic competitions, scholarship applications, and the legal and administrative barriers that continue even after a student earns admission.
Title and author name
Koffi has explained the hyphen in Refuge-e as a distinction between a person labelled a refugee and the uncertain condition or place understood as refuge. The book was published under the name John Michael Koffi. The author now uses Njamba Koffi in his public work; both names are retained here so readers can connect the publication and current author record.
Editions
Tellwell Talent published paperback and hardcover editions in April 2018. Both print editions are listed at 270 pages, with separate ISBNs. Digital retailers list an ebook of different pagination because page counts vary by electronic format.
The memoir is both a personal account and a source on youth education, mobility, and institutional waiting across two southern African refugee camps. Personal recollection should be read as testimony, while dates and general camp conditions should be checked alongside administrative and independent sources.
References
Sources
- 1Njamba Koffi
Njamba Koffi
Author biography and description of the memoir's Dzaleka and Mpaka settings.
- 2Refuge-e: The Journey Much Desired
Apple Books, 23 April 2018
- 3
- 4Refuge-e: The Journey Much Desired
UWC Robert Bosch College Alumni Post, March 2018
Related entries
Place
Dzaleka Refugee Camp
A long-established refugee settlement in Dowa District, Malawi, opened in 1994 and now home to a large, multilingual community from the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa.
Education
Education in Dzaleka
Public, private, community, and post-secondary education in Dzaleka, including the Malawi curriculum and long-running scholarship and digital-learning programmes.
History
History of Dzaleka
How Dzaleka developed from a camp opened in 1994 into Malawi's principal refugee settlement, including the consolidation of residents from Luwani and decades of population growth.
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