Hosseini’s Sea Prayer gives a voice to thousands of forgotten refugees

At three years old, I was making imaginary friends, learning to ride a bike and starting nursery. At three years old, Alan Kurdi drowned.  His fragile body washed up on the Turkish shore, burying his face into the cold grit of sand. He would never find his way home. 

Helpless, a young female photographer spotted this still little figure. At that moment, she captured the haunting image, one that would come to define the refugee crisis. Shared by thousands on social media and seen by millions more, this photograph provoked such powerful reactions that governments quickly opened their frontiers to the victimised masses. Germany welcomed trainloads of people, media outlets became increasingly compassionate, and governments formed a humanitarian corridor, stretching from Greece to Bavaria.

Hosseini’s experience of displacement as an immigrant shapes his narratives…

But, nearly three years on, little has changed. Since Alan’s death, over 8,500 migrants and refugees have died or disappeared in their quest to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

To mark the third anniversary of the fatality, the acclaimed author, Khaled Hosseini, will be releasing a short, illustrated book responding to the continued crisis: Sea Prayer. After spending his early childhood years in Kabul, Afghanistan, Hosseini’s family relocated to France. Later, America granted them political asylum. Having escaped the violence of Afghanistan, his experience of displacement as an immigrant shapes his narratives, and his latest pertinent publication comes at a critical time. The poignant image of Alan’s frail body is now a distant memory. People have new problems, new concerns. Through his writing, Hosseini ensures this crucial conversation continues to circulate, raising awareness and promoting the work of the UNHCR, for which he is an ambassador.

I read The Kite Runner in my mid-teens, and it stirred in me such strong empathy for the young Afghans. They were innocents in a tragically prevalent war, about which I knew very little. The deceptively simple language is powerfully raw and emotive. It engages generations of people, introducing us to the pivotal crises of our time. Contemporary literature has a role to play in building connections between readers and foreign characters. Pervasive within our society is hostility towards strangers from distant lands, with distant troubles. By creating characters whose lives reflect real-life tragedy, writers such as Hosseini manage to close this distance. As a result, they forge connections between people.

Cultural references allow us to understand foreign livelihoods better, and to embrace their traditions…

All of this is because Hosseini’s stories are universal. Sea Prayer is an imagined letter from a desperate father to his precious son, a solemn prayer that his little boy will survive the tempestuous journey on the sea, a despairing hope that his young child will not be found lifeless on the shores of a foreign beach. This protective parental anxiety is a deeply human emotion with which many will empathise.

His problems are not merely the problems of a refugee. They are the problems of humanity.

Regardless of the extensive connections to the central characters’ native culture, which could perhaps distance Western readers, we remain infatuated by their progression, hardships, and feelings, all of which are central to the human condition. Moreover, the cultural references allow us to understand foreign livelihoods better, and to embrace their traditions instead of immediately rejecting them as alien.

In our society, these people endure contempt because of a lack of understanding…

While Sea Prayer is yet to print, The Guardian has released a virtual reality film of the same name. Soft, rasping tones narrate Hosseini’s words, echoing the prayer-like qualities of the story. Overlapping the whispering voice, the creators have used haunting music and sounds, fragments of Syrian life. The combination is jarring, the atmosphere uncomfortable. You become instantly absorbed in the world of the narrator. It is accompanied by rough, sketchy illustrations, which morph and merge into each other to explore the imminence of change and oncoming turmoil. Before a bleak reality thrusts itself forward, there are fleeting moments of happiness.

It gives a voice to people who are desperate for an escape back to those happy moments. In our society, these people endure contempt because of a lack of understanding. They are distant from our world. Hosseini’s Sea Prayer is therefore pivotal in connecting us to refugees, urging continued conversation in favour of their rights. Hence, he ensures they are not forgotten. He stands with them in their plight.  

The memory of the limp little body, found on the Turkish shores three years ago, is kept alive. Alan Kurdi, I know, will not be forgotten.