The Rio Olympics refugee team finally has its own flag, and an anthem – Aug. 13, 2016 Quartz article

An Aug. 13, 2016 Quartz article is entitled: “The Rio Olympics refugee team finally has its own flag, and an anthem.”

The opening paragraphs (which include several links, which you can find through the link in the previous sentence) read:

When they were selected to compete in the Rio 2016 Olympics, the competition’s first-ever refugee team had neither flag nor anthem. So the International Olympic Committee (IOC) lent them both, as it did for several independent athletes: At the opening ceremonies, they marched under the Olympic flag. The Olympic anthem would be played for their victories.

But now Team Refugees can choose their own flag and anthem, thanks to a group of refugee supporters who’ve joined creative forces under the name Refugee Nation. They’re supported by Amnesty International, which sees the initiative as an “opportunity to change how the public thinks of refugees,” according to a spokesman.

Amsterdam-based Syrian refugee Yara Said has designed a new flag for the team: orange with a black band across. It was inspired by the inflatable jackets that many refugees wear when crossing the Mediterranean. “Black and orange is a symbol of solidarity with all these brave souls that had to cross the sea to look for safety in a new country,” says Said in a video presenting the flag.

[End of excerpt]

Comment

One seeks a refuge in the storm.

Click here for previous posts regarding refugees >

Update

An Aug. 25, 2016 Quartz Africa article is entitled: ““Nobody is ever just a refugee”: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s powerful speech on the global migrant crisis.”