Driven by civil conflicts and war, millions of people in recent years have left their homes in such countries as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen. In news coverage, they are often portrayed in starkly negative terms, and as they arrive in their new countries, they are often met with opposition, hostility and xenophobia.
The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), based in Trieste, Italy, works to build scientific capacity in the developing world. As this historic migration unfolded, TWAS began to hear troubling stories from scientists in the region – laboratories damaged, universities closed, colleagues disappeared or killed. These stories in some cases came from scientists who had participated in programmes offered by TWAS and its partner, the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD).
In 2017, with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), displaced and refugee scientists became a priority focus for TWAS. In March 2017, the TWAS science diplomacy programme co-organised a workshop in Trieste, Italy. “Refugee Scientists: Transnational Resources” convened more than 50 participants from 19 countries for a week-long exchange of information and analysis that produced an extensive list of recommendations.
The film “Science in Exile” emerged from the workshop. It was born from the belief that a commitment to science for developing countries required a commitment to scientists who have been driven from those countries. Every scientist who leaves represents a significant loss to the development potential of the home country; in the view of TWAS and many partner organisations, the global scientific community is obligated to support these displaced scientists, so that their skills are cultivated and not lost. They may have great potential for contributing to scientific progress. Someday, many of them will be needed to help rebuild their home countries.
“Science in Exile” was planned and filmed over a period of 11 months. Director Nicole Leghissa, an Italian, travelled first to Lebanon – to the Syrian refugee camps of the Beqaa Valley, and to the city of Tripoli, headquarters of the Lebanese Association for Scientific Research (LASeR), which runs innovative programmes serving hundreds of students among the Syrian refugee community.
In subsequent months, she and her team travelled in Sudan, South Africa, Germany, Italy, the UK, including Scotland, and the United States. She came to know a number of displaced scientists, many of whom opened their lives to her. Even after escaping the cities that had turned to battlefields, they often found new struggles in their adopted countries. At the same time, many have been fortunate to find vital support from organisations such LASeR, the Scholar Rescue Fund, Scholars at Risk, the Council for At-Risk Academics, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s Philipp Schwartz Initiative and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
The resulting film, “Science in Exile”, is a scientific story, but it is also a profoundly human story. It counteracts the stereotypes that dominate much public debate. The film focuses on the stories of four displaced scientists: two from Syria, one from Iraq and one from Yemen. They work in fields such as nutritional biology, pharmaceutical chemistry and agricultural economics. Each is at a different stage of the transition as they look to resume their work in a safe, secure environment.
But they have this in common: Each dreams of the day when he or she can return home to rebuild.