I began writing Refugee 87 when I was living far from home with my family, in Ethiopia. Our move to Africa coincided with the height of a global refugee crisis. News channels showed images of refugees fleeing war or persecution in their own countries. Some of these people were from Ethiopia.
Everyone I knew back in the UK was shocked by the images of refugees on the news, but many didn’t know why people were risking their lives in this way. The more I heard the phrase “boatload” of refugees, or people discussed in terms of quantity, the more I wanted to hear about who these people were, and what they might be escaping from. People don’t make perilous journeys unless they are leaving something worse behind.
While we were in Ethiopia, a state of emergency was declared after anti-government riots. We were on lockdown in the capital, Addis Ababa, for a few weeks. The internet was shut down, as well as the phones briefly. New laws said you could be put in jail just for criticizing the government. There were systems in place to help us leave the city—and country—if we needed to, but the experience changed me. Why should I be able to leave easily if I was in danger, but not my Ethiopian friends?
Before moving to Ethiopia, I was, for many years, a children’s book editor. I’d often spoken to authors about their inspirations, but I’d never planned to have any of my own. Now there was a story I wanted to tell. The story of a boy who had left everything he knew in search of safety. That story was Refugee 87. For the first time, I truly understood the need to write.
I immediately knew where the book would be set. I also decided not to name the country where Shif comes from, or any of the countries he passes through. I wanted the focus to be on his experience rather than the politics of one regime. Also, Shif’s story has echoes for children across the world today—Central America, Syria, Myanmar, South Sudan. I have left many clues in the story, though, if the reader wants to find out. All the places exist, and Shif’s journey can be traced on a map from beginning to end.