When a dream dies, it creates space for a new dream.”
The cradle of Creator (24 years old) was in Africa, where he grew up with three brothers and two sisters. His father was Muslim and his mother Christian. The family lived with his father’s relatives, all of whom were Muslim. They did not respect his mother’s faith and considered her an apostate. Eventually, she was forced to leave the house, and with that, her family was torn apart. In search of a better life, Creator became a truck driver at the age of twelve. Six years later, when he was seventeen, he began a journey to Europe to flee from his father’s family. His journey lasted two years. It’s the story of a child migrant who had to leave the African continent but never forgot his family.
Our home was already unstable and unsafe but without our mother it became a cold place.
A choice that you should not have to make
Creator says: “I was raised by two very religious parents, each with a different faith. I grew up in two different religious worlds, which weighed heavily on me. It felt like, as a young child, I had to choose between either my father or my mother—two of the most important people in my life, whom I loved equally. It was a constant internal struggle. The tensions and conflicts in the house between my mother and the rest of the family made it even worse. The community we lived in turned against my siblings, father, and I. My father’s family couldn’t accept my mother’s Christian faith. On the contrary, they saw her as an outsider, and she was eventually forced to leave, tearing our family apart. Our home was already unstable and unsafe but without our mother it became a cold place. My father felt powerless, caught between the strict rules and unyielding mindset of his family and his love for us.”
Too young to be an adult
I was broken, desperate, hopeless, and didn’t know how to move forward with my life. I no longer had a mother, I was stuck at school, and my father had become a shadow of the man he once was. This made me feel lost, but despite all the hardship, I knew I had to take care of myself or my life would be over. When I quit school I became a truck driver through an acquaintance. At the age of twelve, I became the primary income of our family. This allowed us, together with my mother, to live in a place my father had arranged for us. It was not much, but it was better than living with my father’s family. We struggled a lot. It was stressful, there was little money, some days we didn’t have enough food, and my father’s family was after us. They couldn’t accept that he had chosen his family, that he had chosen a different faith. My father knew what this meant, but his love for us was stronger than his fear of death. Because his family was furious with him, they were determined to punish him.
I lost friends along the way and I saw people drown in the sea but it didn’t affect me until I arrived in Europe.
The death of my father was a turning point in my life
Two months later, I was sitting next to my father’s bed in the hospital after he had suffered a severe stroke. His family had cursed him, and the curse had taken its toll. Not long after, he passed away. With his death, my dream of making the man who had raised me proud also died. Just before he passed, he warned me that I would be the next victim of his family. Because I had helped bring our family back together, they would also place a curse on me. My father begged me to leave as far away as possible from my family. That final wish was a turning point in my life. I had to leave to save myself, my siblings, and my mother. That’s why, at seventeen, I left my homeland. What followed was a two-year journey through the Sahara, across the Mediterranean, to Europe. I was ready for whatever would happen and had no fear. My life had already been taken from me by my father’s death and the need to let go of my family. I had become numb; I lost friends along the way, I saw people drown in the sea, but it didn’t affect me. Upon arriving in Europe, that began to change. Slowly, space was created for new dreams. I learned to paint, to play football, I even became a coach of a team, and I began reading a lot. Bit by bit, I started to feel human again.
God’s word has infinitely many meanings
From Italy, I traveled with a cousin to the Netherlands. It was difficult for me here, and I was homeless for several months, but I am thankful for the opportunities I now have and for the lessons life has taught me. I often wondered what kept me going. I concluded that it must be something greater than myself. What exactly that is; is it God, is it survival instinct, is it my love for my family? I know it’s God. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that religious texts should not be interpreted literally. They are conversations between people and God. God is infinite, and therefore His word has infinitely many meanings. So, engage in conversations with people—what does a Christian say, what does a Muslim say, what does a Jew say, what does an atheist say? Try to learn from them, take from it what is valuable to you, and focus on the good in people.