Abstract:

Refugees have remained a significant feature on the South Africa landscape and a concern in the country even prior to the advent of democracy. Since the advent of democracy in 1994, South Africa has experienced waves of newcomers – people fleeing wars, drought and poverty from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Angola, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Ethiopia. South Africa did not recognise refugees until 1993. It was only following the transition to democracy, that the country became a signatory to the United Nations and Organization of African Unity Conventions on Refugees. Despite South African legislation making provision for refugees to seek shelter in the country, unlike other African countries, South Africa does not have any refugee camps. Asylum seekers and refugees survive largely without assistance. This article reports on qualitative research, conducted with refugee children attending the Three2Six Bridging Programme at Sacred Heart College in Johannesburg, South Africa. It provides pen portraits of their bio/geographical pre-flight, flight and settlement experiences as they emerged from interviews data. The article draws on theoretical insights from deconstructionist conceptions of hospitality and guest-host dialectics. It also recruits relevant concepts from Bronfenbrenner’s (2005) bio-ecological theory as it relates to environmental variables that shape human development.

Keywords:

Refugee children’s education, hospitality and deconstructionist theory, refugee children psycho-social experiences, refugee children’s identity.