Capoeira in conflict zones: Giving children a sporting chance

Perdita Sonntag of Capoeira4Refugees argues the case for the use of sport and development programmes with refugee and other displaced populations.

“What we are trying to achieve actually has nothing to do with pure sport. It is psychosocial. It is everything around the sport that is having the impact – the rules and the sense of stability, the trainers and the trust you develop, the respect, the social connection – that is what these kids need.”

– Capoeira trainer, Azraq Refugee Camp, Jordan.

In the Middle East, our NGO is using the unlikely Brazilian art-form sport of capoeira to give refugee kids an outlet. Capoeira4Refugees works across Palestine, Jordan and Syria. The war rages in Syria. Violence is escalating in Palestine. In Jordan, Zaatari Refugee Camp is now the fourth largest ‘city’ in the country. Across all these countries, refugees share an experience of conflict. This experience is rife with issues such as a lack of access to security, health, housing, sanitation and education. There is early marriage, gender based violence, child labour and human exploitation.

The necessity for sport and development programmes in these contexts at first seems strange. Shouldn’t the focus for refugees be on food, shelter and water sanitation? However, as the focus on aid to the Syrian crisis shifts from emergency response to protection mechanisms, S4D programmes aimed at reducing trauma and increasing resilience are gaining traction with international development practitioners and donors.

It is possible to be cynical about the effectiveness of many wellbeing programmes for refugee youth. There is a proliferation of ‘feel good’ projects that have little real impact. Happy, playing children make great photo opportunities for glossy annual reports but where is the substantive impact? As Paramasivan puts it, “Is sport just a middle-class distraction from the serious business of raising income levels and fighting for civil rights?”

The short answer is no. Sport and development is an under-resourced part of the sector, but its impact is far reaching. Its lauded benefits include not only improved physical and mental health; it is also a connector of communities and a communication tool. It engenders empowerment and respect and introduces the rules of fair play, and to win and lose with equal dignity. It cross-cuts cultural, economic and gender boundaries. It is for everybody. We, at Capoeira4Refugees, get to witness the benefit of sport and development first hand. And the benefits are particularly relevant to children who have experienced conflict.

Back in Azraq refugee camp, the kids don’t really care about all that. Their focus is on making friends, playing the game and putting the trauma of conflict behind them.

Visit the Capoeira4Refugees website for more information

[This article has been edited by the Operating Team]