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Tsige Haille with Councillor Ruth Polling. ‘I love Britain for giving me this chance,’ said the restaurateur |
Restaurant boss reveals how she fled conflict to find a new life
A REFUGEE who fled war-torn Eritrea and went on to open her own critically acclaimed restaurant in Islington has thanked Britain – and in particular the borough – for helping her enjoy a peaceful way of life.
Tsige Haille, who runs Zigni House, a popular East African restaurant in Essex Road, Angel, said she will never forget the kindness she received when she arrived in Islington 10 years ago.
Tsige, who lost many family and friends in the Eritrean conflict, spoke at a new exhibition, The Journey Travelled, celebrating the lives of refugee women. It opened this week at Islington Museum in St John Street, Finsbury.
Tsige described how, when it became impossible to return to her homeland, she stayed on in Britain to train at catering college. She has owned the restaurant for four years. Tsige said: “I was 14 when war started between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and it was very dangerous. When I arrived in Britain I was obviously scared I would not be made welcome. But generally people have been kind. I wanted to learn and I wanted to work.
“I love Britain for giving me this chance. I am very happy.”
Not all experiences have been so positive, however. While Britain is seen as a mainly tolerant nation, racism still exists, according to some refugees, directed these days at East Europeans and Muslims.
Poulomi Desai, who helped organise the exhibition on behalf of Islington-based All Change Arts, talked about her experience of growing up in Harrow as the child of African and Indian parents.
She added: “I was just a young girl but I remember the impact of Enoch Powell’s ‘rivers of blood’ speech and the National Front posters.
“My mother was a teacher who taught the kids of parents who had NF posters on their walls. We put up with a fair amount of abuse from mainly white males and my teenage years were all about getting out of Harrow.
“Incredibly, there have been suggestions in a recent TV documentary that Enoch might have been right. That’s like re-writing history.”
Lib Dem leisure chief Councillor Ruth Polling said the exhibition depicted some extraordinary stories of refugee bravery. “This is a celebration of our shared history,” she added.
The Journey Travelled is at Islington Museum,
245 St John Street, until September 13. Admission is free. |
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