NEWMARKET - Pedro Restrepo and his family were forced to flee their home in Colombia after his father was killed for voicing political beliefs against a corrupt and repressive government. He was one of 15 writers who shared their experiences as immigrants to Canada in a new book, The Uncaged Voice - Stories by Writers in Exile . He was joined by editor and novelist Keith Ross Leckie, Newmarket resident and Syrian journalist Abdulrahman Matar, former Turkish reporter Arzu Yildiz, and Ethiopian filmmaker Gezahegn Mekonnen Demissie at Old Town Hall on June 18.
A small but rapt audience listened to their stories, and some later expressed the need for their experiences to be shared with community members and Canadians at large, particularly young people. “It was a difficult time because my family was divided,” Restrepo told NewmarketToday. “My mother went to the U.
S. with my brother, and I had to go to Mexico. We were in danger and I was displaced.
” Restrepo worked with non-government agencies in Colombia to bring communities out of poverty and provide children with opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise, he said, as illegal mining groups and gangs would stop them. “I know cases of people in local churches that went there to promote initiatives to help teenagers, prevent drugs, and they have been killed,” said Restrepo. “This is unfortunate and the authorities don’t help much to fix the problem.
“The problem is there are gangs and groups and narcotrafficker.