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Inspiring stories that shed light and amplify refugee self-reliance + women and girl's voices.

04/02/2026

In Dzaleka Refugee Camp, daily life is defined by scarcity. Food, water, and safety are never guaranteed.

But for a group of teenagers, something else has become essential: spoken word poetry.

Through their words, they create space to be seen. To process what they live through. To hold on to a sense of dignity in a place where so much is uncertain.

Once a year, the Tumaini Festival transforms the camp. Music, dance, and performance fill the space, offering a brief shift from survival to expression.

This is where our film begins.
It follows these young poets as they prepare to take the stage, asking a simple but urgent question: in a place where survival is not assured, what else do we need to truly live?

Discover their stories and explore how you can support artistic survival in Dzaleka.

www.wenameourselves.com

“Art defies defeat by its very existence, representing the celebration of life, in spite of all attempts to degrade and ...
03/26/2026

“Art defies defeat by its very existence, representing the celebration of life, in spite of all attempts to degrade and destroy it.” Nadine Gordimer.

The South African writer and Nobel Laureate believed that art begins in lived reality. Writing during apartheid, she rejected the idea that art belongs only in quiet galleries or elite spaces. For her, art was part of everyday life. A way of seeing more clearly and speaking more honestly about the world around us.

In Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, teenage poets do exactly that. They turn their daily experiences into spoken word. Hunger. Waiting. Friendship. Faith. Longing for a future that feels out of reach.

Their poetry is not an escape from reality. It is a way to face it and to stay fully alive in a place where opportunities are limited. Through rhythm and verse, their voices claim space and dignity.

Meet Charles.In Dzaleka Refugee Camp, many young poets look up to him. People call him “The President,” not because of a...
03/24/2026

Meet Charles.
In Dzaleka Refugee Camp, many young poets look up to him. People call him “The President,” not because of a title, but because of the calm authority he carries.

Charles discovered poetry during a difficult moment in his life, after losing his parents. Writing became a way to make sense of grief and to hold onto something steady when everything else felt uncertain.

Today he shares that path with others. He spends time with younger poets, encouraging them to write, perform, and trust their own voices.

Charles reminds us that poetry is not only about standing on stage. It is also about listening, guiding, and helping others find the courage to speak.

For him, telling your story is more than expression. It is a way to stay grounded and to help others feel seen.

Poetry is one of humanity’s oldest tools for understanding life.For thousands of years, people have used poetry to tell ...
03/21/2026

Poetry is one of humanity’s oldest tools for understanding life.

For thousands of years, people have used poetry to tell stories, pass down knowledge, question power, and give voice to emotions that are often difficult to explain. It is a form of expression that belongs to everyone, everywhere.

Even in places where daily life is uncertain, poetry continues to emerge. It creates space for reflection, connection, and dignity. Through words, people reclaim their stories and remind the world that they are more than the circumstances surrounding them.

On this International World Poetry Day, we celebrate all those who write, perform, and share poetry. Your words keep alive a tradition that has shaped human thought, culture, and imagination across generations.

Meet Heritier.Known in Dzaleka under the alias of First Born Poet. His poems move between memory and imagination, asking...
03/19/2026

Meet Heritier.
Known in Dzaleka under the alias of First Born Poet. His poems move between memory and imagination, asking what it means to build a future when your past has been shaped by loss and displacement.

Heritier’s voice reveals the inner life of a generation growing up in the camp. His words are thoughtful, searching, and deeply personal.

Poetry is his way to understand who he is, where he comes from, and who he wants to become.


Meet Espoir.His name means “hope.”In Dzaleka Refugee Camp, where life is often defined by uncertainty and waiting, that ...
03/17/2026

Meet Espoir.
His name means “hope.”
In Dzaleka Refugee Camp, where life is often defined by uncertainty and waiting, that word carries weight.

Espoir writes poetry about the things he sees and feels around him. The frustration of growing up in a place with few opportunities. The strength it takes to keep imagining a future beyond the camp.
Through spoken word, he turns those thoughts into rhythm and voice.

In We Name Ourselves, we witness how poetry becomes a space where Espoir can speak freely about his reality. Each verse is both personal and shared. His words reflect the experiences of many young people who are learning how to hold on to hope while facing difficult circumstances.

For Espoir, poetry is a way to look forward. A way to insist that his story is still unfolding.

Meet Nyota.Her name means “shining star.”In a place where daily life is shaped by waiting, uncertainty, and limited oppo...
03/13/2026

Meet Nyota.
Her name means “shining star.”

In a place where daily life is shaped by waiting, uncertainty, and limited opportunities, Nyota writes.

Her words speak about being young, about being a girl, and about refusing to disappear into silence.

We follow her as she prepares to perform at the Tumaini Festival. When the day finally comes, she steps onto the stage in front of thousands. The crowd grows quiet. Every word lands…

For Nyota, poetry is not simply performance. It is a form of advocacy. Through spoken word she claims dignity, visibility and make her communities questions and demands be heard.

This is one of the young poets at the heart of our film "We Name Ourselves".

In Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, a group of teenagers gathers to write and perform poetry.They come from different cou...
03/11/2026

In Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, a group of teenagers gathers to write and perform poetry.

They come from different countries and backgrounds, but they share a common reality. Life in the camp is shaped by uncertainty, limited opportunities, and long periods of waiting. For many young people growing up here, the future can feel distant.

Through spoken word, these teenagers create space for their voices. They write about daily life, about friendship, faith, frustration, and hope. Their poems turn personal experiences into stories that can be heard by others.

Our film We Name Ourselves follows several of these young poets as they discover the power of their own words.

Each voice is different. Each story matters.

“Poetry must not perish. For then, where would be the hope of the world?” — Léopold Sédar Senghor.Senghor, Senegal’s fir...
03/05/2026

“Poetry must not perish. For then, where would be the hope of the world?” — Léopold Sédar Senghor.

Senghor, Senegal’s first president and a leading voice of the Négritude movement, believed culture was the backbone of dignity. He invested in festivals, cultural institutions, and public support for artists, placing the arts at the center of national life. For him, poetry was not decoration. It was a source of identity and collective hope.

In Dzaleka Refugee Camp, teenage poets write and perform in a place built for survival alone. Through spoken word, they insist on being seen, heard, and named on their own terms. When poetry survives, hope survives. And with hope, the possibility of a dignified future.

Spoken word travels fast here. From one person to another. From older poets to younger ones. From phones and notebooks i...
02/26/2026

Spoken word travels fast here. From one person to another. From older poets to younger ones. From phones and notebooks into shared space.

It is how experience moves through the community. How emotions are named. How frustrations, humor, and hope are carried without needing translation.
These voices are not asking to be rescued. They are asking to be heard on their own terms.

Listening is an active choice. This film begins there.

Dzaleka Refugee Camp was built as a high security prison. A place for punishment. It was never meant to be a place to bu...
02/19/2026

Dzaleka Refugee Camp was built as a high security prison. A place for punishment. It was never meant to be a place to build a life.

Yet our young friends have found a way to imagine something beyond the minimum.

Through poetry, they take action to create a better future for themselves and their community.

We Name Ourselves presents art as a tool for finding hope, dignity, and meaning in places where those are hard to find.

In places like Dzaleka, can art be just as essential as food?

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