Still Alive: Notes from Australia’s Immigration Detention System

by Safdar Ahmed

In early 2011, Safdar Ahmed visited Sydney’s Villawood Immigration Detention Centre for the first time. He brought pencils and sketchbooks into the centre and started drawing with the people detained there. Their stories are told in this book.

Interweaving journalism, history and autobiography, Still Alive is an intensely personal indictment of Australia’s refugee detention policies and procedures. It is also a searching reflection on the redemptive power of art. And death metal.

Safdar Ahmed won a Walkley Award in 2015 for his web comic Villawood: Notes from an immigration detention centre.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Comics, Australia, Adult, Biography, History

234 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2021

Reviews

[chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. this should be required reading for everyone but especially for australians

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kind of book that should be required reading in Australia - the kind of book that would be blacklisted because of that.

The truth about refugees, asylum seekers and those held in detention (or on the more recent temporary visa system), is something that all Australians are aware of. Some Australians care, most however, either resent the refugees in the first place or practice apathy and denial towards the horrors committed by just about every government & immigration minister in power since the 90's.

It's almost become a non-issue - in that it's been going on for so long, most Aussie's find it much easier now to turn a blind-eye than to speak out or actively fight against something that is becoming increasingly entrenched not just in our politics, but in the Australian way of life - and eventually - the Australian identity.

Still Alive is a very urgent, beautifully drawn, and insightfully written graphic novel that I would urge everyone to pick up, especially if you know very little about the harm, torture and grief that has come to those that are simply seeking a way to live beyond survival.

Filled with vignettes, interspersed by the author's own interpersonal relationships and encounters with refugees (mostly based in the Villawood detention centre), much of this was hard to read. Not all of them are dire, but many of them are, and the author admirably succeeds in depicting these people as - in his words:

"There's a problem in the way refugees are framed, and the images that are circulated about them. Why are they always portrayed as victims? What does that say about how we see them? Refugees are expected to appear grateful for any support they receive. So that any expression of anger or frustration makes them seem unworthy. Which places them in a subservient role. But there are no 'good' or 'bad' refugees - only people who deserve basic rights."

The author also does an excellent job of interspersing exposition and crucial information about the legal (or illegal) frameworks that have propped up the particularly horrific system of detention that has slowly evolved over the years in Australia until it resembles what it is today.

Overall, I would urge everyone to go immediately find a copy of this, even if this topic is not your particular interest, if not least because the artwork is some of the most unique and stunning I've ever encountered in a graphic novel.

[lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

it feels kind of wrong to rate this book but if i were to rate it, it’s only fair to give it the highest possible one. it covers pretty heavy shit but its important and it should be read. the art is beautiful and gory and the incorporation of art from refugees is just so real (ik that sounds stupid but i don’t have a better way to put it)
if this book doesn’t move you in some way then you probably suck

[Ruby Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think everybody needs to read this book. The treatment of refugees in our country is absolutely appalling. This book is so gut wrenching and sad and my heart goes out to all of those people simply trying to seek asylum away from war-torn, dangerous countries. They are humans too.

[Moira Macfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

⚫
I can say it's unnerving, it is
I can wonder about humanity, I do
I feel unrighteous privileged, I am

Is there anything we could do to make this world a better place, I wonder

A very dark reality

⚫
This graphic novel by Safdar Ahmed gives voice to people living in Sydney's Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. It was an overwhelming, impressive, and grim story, stunningly depicted.
Keep in mind that this story doesn't stand on its own. It is a very dark reality for a lot of people all over the world.

'The consul banged the table and said, 'If you've got no passport you're officially dead': But we are still alive, my dear, but we are still alive.'

W.H. Auden. 'Refugee Blues'

⚫
Have a look inside: https://www.instagram.com/p/CnG-ESorSTg/

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so disgusted with our government and this book made me feel sick. Australians (including myself) live in such a bubble of denial about the disgusting ways our governments and the for-profit prison system treats human beings. I vaguely knew this, but this book made it so much more real. This book is so, so, so powerful and NEEDED.

I feel like it has shaken me awake. Hopefully, it will shake many people awake and provoke real action, or proper support to those who devote their lives to the basic human rights of asylum seekers. Our government is corrupt, and this is truly evil, what we are doing. Shame, shame, shame to us all. I don’t want to stop here. I am determined to take some sort of action. I hope a growing collective of people will do the same.

[Anneena]

“In this night of solitude, there are thousands of dreams, but there are more pains in my heart - thousands of sorrows.”

Such a deeply moving book. Every Australian should read this. Describes nothing short of the Australian government’s ongoing systematic and disgraceful violation of human rights - subjected on the most vulnerable people. This should make you angry.

“Refugees are expect to appear grateful for any support they receive. Which places them in a subservient role. So that any expression of anger of frustration makes them seem unworthy. But there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ refugees - only people who deserve basic rights.”

[Neeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is something I think every Australian needs to read! The content is at times incredibly disturbing but unflinchingly honest and the illustrations are beautiful yet horrifying.
Highly highly recommend especially if you’re Australian!

[Ms Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book. It is powerful, overwhelming, terrifying and so well crafted. The illustrations are haunting (especially the black and white etchings) and the stories... well, the stories are equally part familiar and equally part nightmare-inducing.

Australia's immigration detention system is an abomination. I don't know a lot about it. This book highlighted that. I need to learn more. This book also highlighted that. If I'm honest, I'm also a bit scared of what I'd do with that knowledge.

This needs to be part of every high school as it "documents the conditions, experiences and deprivations of Australia's system of mandatory and indefinite detention for asylum seekers and refugees."

[Nola Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this non-fiction graphic novel, artist Safdar Ahmed tells his own story and that of the refugees he met over his hundreds of visits to the Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney. He ran art workshops for the refugees, and has also exhibited some of their work and advocated against the terrible situations they have faced. It's a confronting read, as it details not only what some of the refugees went through in their countries of origin, but also their inhumane treatment by successive Australian governments. An eye-opening account. Ahmed's story was shown in a 'Compass' episode entitled 'Safdar Ahmed is Still Alive'. If you're in Australia, the episode was still available on iView at the time of posting this review. Well worth a look.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

At times brutally hard to see/read, this graphic novel does an excellent job at showcasing the voices of refugees and asylum seekers held in detention in Villawood. And when given a voice, so many of the myths and perceptions fall away. By covering one refugee's journeys to find a stable home, Ahmed brings the reader into the reality of asylum seekers lives (and far too often, deaths), and the resourcefulness and tenacity those who make it to Villawood have inevitably demonstrated.
The book was largely written a decade ago, even though it is a relatively recent publication, and it shows in depressing ways. There is some Manus content towards the end, but it is hard that Villawood now seems like a relatively humane situation compared with offshore detention.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

must read fr!!!! v heavy topics but v necessary to read + extremely eye opening, personal and raw. the art was also so beautiful and I loved the collaborative nature of it like including art the refugees made was really cool to see.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. An incredibly graphic and confronting depiction of the stories of refugees inside Australia's detention centres. An important book for all Australians, this is a worthy winner of the Eve Pownall award in 2022.

[Paris]

WOW. This is such a special book with hard to read but important stories. I was ignorant to a lot of what this book covered, and it has really opened my eyes to the true goings-on of immigration detention. The imagery and the voices throughout this are so powerful - highly, highly recommend

[Rania Zaidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be a mandatory read for all Australians.

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad story of the reality of Australia’s xenophobic immigration detention system and the suffering faced by refugee claimants.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was truly an amazing and immersive book. I was drawn in by the artwork and even more engaged by the experiences it depicted. Horrified and inspired.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly important read.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I put off reading this for a long time, because I knew it would be upsetting. And it was, of course, but so good, so powerful, and so well done. I thought I could read little by little, in case I get too upset, but I read it all this morning in one go.

Wow. An incredible, incredible book.

The way Safdar writes his own ideas and narrative into the story makes it so accessible. I can’t do this review justice. But this is an incredible read. Highly recommend it to everyone.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Australian should read this

[Navid Kibria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tells a very important story. Illustrations are compelling.

[Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

Representation: Asian characters
Trigger warnings: Death of people in a boating accident, domestic violence and self-harm mentioned, torture, implied physical and sexual assault and injury, attempted suicide, sexist and other slurs, military violence and war themes, refugee experiences, deportation, racism
Score: Eight points out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.

I saw Still Alive hiding on the library shelf, so after glancing at it I convinced myself to pick this one up. Soon enough, I read and finished it, and what a compelling read it was. Still Alive is a collection of genuine refugee experiences from an authentic author and not like other novels I've read like Zenobia or Illegal.

It's difficult to judge Still Alive because it's unlike other stories, but I'll try my best. It starts with the author, Safdar Ahmed, visiting a detention centre in Sydney in 2011, asking people what their stories were and how they got here. Thus begins the refugee accounts: they came from war-torn countries, like Afghanistan or Myanmar and escaped to other nations like Australia or the United Kingdom, but even then, their journey is not over yet for most; they face systemic and casual discrimination. One person left the detention centre to reunite with his family, but others don't have a fate as fortunate as him.

There are some other topics Still Alive deals with, but they mess the narrative's flow and it would be better if there were separate sections. Safdar goes on to report Australia's immigration system--an atrocity. The state is the only one that has indefinite detention. It's challenging for a refugee to apply to permanently reside in Australia, much less be an Australian citizen, because of bureaucratic laws including temporary visas approved by racist government officials. It's such a shame that the process is like this. The asylum seekers in Villawood are still alive, which doesn't apply to those who lost their lives. It was intriguing to see Australia weaponise the term 'boat people,' referring to Vietnamese people who came by boat fleeing from the Vietnam War and now those from Afghanistan and Myanmar. I never knew that word had a negative connotation until now. The author's note also added to Still Alive.

[Timothy Dymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The genesis of the book goes back a decade, when I started visiting the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre with some friends. Through these visits we founded a small not-for-profit community art organisation Refugee Art Project.’

Safdar Ahmed has skilfully combined the stories of the asylum seekers and refugees in detention that come from the Art classes he started with the detainees. 'People from Iran depicted the state repression they had fled. Sri Lankan refugees made images about the way of 2009 and the subsequent persecution they experienced under the Rajapaksa government. Hazara Afghans drew blood-curdling images of the Taliban. A Rohingya Muslim man from Myanmar depicted the terrible trauma inflicted on his community.’

There are many observations you make about this book. Something that stayed with me in particular was Ahmed’s views on the way refugees are portrayed, even by their supporters:

‘Sometimes refugees are held up in a positive light. It’s true they have been award winning ... athletes ... surgeons ... comedians. They’ve shown incredible resilience to escape from persecution and survive their journeys. And they have so much to offer ... But these factors should never condition their acceptance. People who have been through hell do not have to be angels. They do not have to benefit anyone ... Most will be as ordinary ... Lazy ... Flawed ... And as unimpressive as you or I.'

[G Batts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched and compassionate without being sentimental. I was fortunate enough to see Safdar in an author talk where he spoke about some of the famous artworks he’s referenced in his images and this added a deeper level of appreciation to my reading.
I do wish he trusted his images a bit more to do the talking as I often felt he was over explaining with text.

[Melbourne Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a powerful moving book. Simple story telling but in memorable ways. Small accounts of experiences convey so much. The graphic format has a compelling way of reinforcing the voice [and eye] of the author and those he works with. Read it, and buy copies for others.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well done non-fiction graphic novel that exposes the horrors and injustice of Australia's immigration detention system.

[Sophie-Anne Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his debut graphic novel, Safdar Ahmed recounts his experience volunteering at the Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney. Through powerful illustrations, information and moving stories, Ahmed’s paints a compelling and poignant testimony of detained refugees in Australia.

The book begins with Ahmed’s first visit to Villawood in 2011. Ahmed sets the scene, conveying refugees’ living conditions inside the centre, their weariness towards inquisitive visitors and their keenest to discuss ongoing challenges regarding their asylum claims. Ahmed introduces his volunteer role at Villawood where he leads an art workshop offering refugees a creative outlet. Ahmed recognises the refugees’ artworks as the book’s inspiration, some of which he includes in Stay Alive.

In the following parts, Ahmed recounts the stories of refugees in Villawood including their struggles in detention. Ahmed also offers detailed historical and political insights into Australia’s immigration system, describing the involvement of politicians, lawmakers, medical professionals, and businesses in refugee settlement. Ahmed uses authentic refugee stories to denounce their cruel treatment under Australia’s refugee policies. Notable experiences include Hadi’s boat journey, a traumatic voyage many refugees are forced to take. Ahmed links Hadi’s story with Australia’s refugee policies and legal process. Ahmed denounces Australia’s merciless narrative around ‘boat people’ and the role of politicians in forging a refugee deterrence system, notably by introduction detention centres and upholding a xenophobic judicial process.

Additionally, Ahmed explores the impact of detention on his refugee friends in Villawood. He deliberates on mental health, including suicide and self-harm, sexual frustration, violence, oppression, and lack of access to legal and educational material. He denounces the centre’s careless practices, some of which led to his friend Ahmad Ali Jafari’s death, to whom the book is dedicated.

Ahmed also branches out of Villawood, exploring Australia’s detention centres in Papua New Guinea, Manus Island and Nauru. Ahmed lends his voice to Amir Taghinia, a former Manus detainee and refugee advocate, who describes Australia’s inhumane offshore detention camps as “a legal black site for ensuring that asylum seekers have no access to judicial review under Australian law” (p.146). Taghinia recounts the unsanitary conditions, violence, illness, riots, and deaths he witnessed in the camps, denouncing Australia’s Government as perpetrator. Ahmed further touches on topics such as post-detention adaptation, the treatment of women and LGBTQIA+ in detention as well as his own perspectives and advocacy through art.

Readers familiar with “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi or the film “Flee” by director Jonas Poher Rasmussen will recognise the unique impact of animated illustration in politico-social storytelling. Ahmed’s impressive interpretation helps the reader visualise issues and put a face to refugee names, humanising them and enabling a connection with the very real people behind the stories. Ahmed’s incorporation of refugees’ art further bridges the gap between the reader and the refugees in the book.

Evidently, this medium allows for an uncomplicated read, although far from an easy one. The illustrations add a significant sensory layer, the reader is compelled to experience the images before them, driving an instinctive emotional reaction. As a graphic novel, the book presents art as a binding force. It symbolises Ahmed’s own passion, his connection to the refugees in Villawood through the art workshop and its therapeutic power in helping refugees process trauma. Notably, it makes the book and its message accessible. Unpretentious and nonintimidating, Still Alive captivates any audience without establishing academic boundaries to understanding the challenges refugees face.

Furthermore, Ahmed’s interlinked use of personal experiences, refugee stories and educational material demonstrates an authentic representation of refugees’ experiences in Australia today. Throughout the book, Ahmed lends his voice to millions of refugees worldwide, shining a light on the daily cruelty ordinary people face by no fault of their own.

By incorporating personal experiences Ahmed does not monopolise attention, instead his own perspectives reflect those of non-refugees. Ahmed’s honest expression of curiosity, weariness and indifference creates a relatable narrator, enabling the reader to connect to the author and his message.

Overall, Stay Alive is an outstanding portrayal of Australia’s xenophobic narratives and merciless policies and their destructive impact on the protection of refugees. Ahmed’s incredibly poignant depiction, albeit very funny at times, demonstrates the effects of an apathetic system, the courage of those who must face it and the power of human connection. Stay Alive serves as a powerful tool for knowledge and advocacy, an essential addition to everyone’s library.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahmed’s graphic novel presents a number of stories from detainees at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre that presents a dramatic, harrowing and confronting insight into the hardships that led to illegal migration and life behind the stark walls of the centre. Ahmed worked in a voluntary capacity for a number of years to work with detainees in expressing their personal stories through art - bleak, black, graphic and at times confronting images. The individual stories are carefully woven together through Ahmeds' own imagery and storytelling to present the historical and political agendas that have led to Australia's current stance. There is nothing complimentary in it and jit challenges the nation to actually examine our indifference and complicity in continuing to support the government's stance on refugees and the way they are treated.

The book is obviously, and unapologetically presented through the eyes of the refugees and, by its very nature as a graphic novel, does not attempt to provide detailed historical and political narrative. As such it is an emotional and personal read that deliberately aims to elicit an response for the reader. The artwork and sparse language capture the isolation, despair, anguish and loneliness, but also include snapshots of friendships and support. As to be expected there are instances of self harm, sexual acts, including rape and verbal and physical abuse.

Shortlisted for the 2022 CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, I can see this provoking criticisms similar to those who found the version of Australian history in Dark Emu confronting and unsettling. I hope it does, as this will encourage more people to engage with this haunting and tragic chapter of our history, which unfortunately, has not yet closed.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Safdar Ahmed’s graphic novel, Still Alive: Notes from Australia’s Immigration Detention System (2021), merges genres of biography, journalism, history and politics to produce this confronting and heart breaking reflection on Australia’s Immigration policies. Ahmed positions himself from the outset as someone who has wrestled with his own demons and processed these successfully through art. Wanting to make a difference, he decides to offer art therapy classes to refugee’s in Sydney’s Villawood Detention Centre. Here, he learns about the injustices of the legal system, the inhumane policies of successive Australian governments who treat refugees as though they are vermin, but more importantly, he meets a range of refugees and learns their personal stories.

I read this in one afternoon and found it difficult to put down, despite the challenging content. Ahmed structures the story with a perfect balance of individual stories, history and personal anecdotes. The individual refugees he focuses on give tremendous insight into the terrible lives people flee and their subsequent journeys to Australia and internment in what can only be described as prison camps. Ahmed effectively communicates the collective struggle, while also showing what makes these individual experiences unique. The overview of Australia’s increasingly barbaric refugee policy and the reflection of this in negative attitudes and public discourse towards refugees and boat people is sharly conveyed through both minimal yet effective factual text and stark illustrations. Ahmed reflects on his own role in the saga as well, how normal Australian people, whether they agree with the policies or not, are implicit in what happens to these refugees as they don’t demand more from their politicians or do more to help the situation. Many of these refugees are floundering in Australian immigration detention for years as the wheels of the law move so slowly, only to then be given a temporary protection visas, placing them in further never ending limbo.

Ahmed’s sketches are drawn in black and white, combining caricature, realism and symbolism. The inclusion of some sketches and artwork of the refugees themselves in this gives an added layer of emotion to the story Ahmed is trying to tell. The metaphorical images of monsters, knots, chess pieces and walls all help to communicate the experiences of the refugees both before their entry into Australia and afterwards. The text is sometimes overly didactic, but only when it needs to be and frequently returns to the emotive and fraught personal stories of the refugees impacted by these policies and events.

It is a raw and very personal piece of work, in some ways depressing, but in other ways a real dedication to the fortitude and resilience of so many who risk everything to save their own lives and will endure more for the opportunity to live in freedom or see their families again. It is also a terrible indictment on Australia’s immigration policies and helps remind us what a bleak and shameful chapter of Australian history this has been.

[Ahmad Omar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has really made me realise how lucky I was. My review is a bit personal mainly cause I have been through the immigration system but I was a lot luckier than other people.


I left Syria when I was 12 and lived in Jordan for about 3 years before me and my family's UN file was considered by the Australian Embassy Migration and Resettlement Program operating in Amman Jordan. Unlike various others our paper work was processed in a very short time within 5-8 months we finished three interviews with immigration and the ambassador we completed a medical checkup and 3 days later we were informed that we were going to be departing to Adelaide.

I never realised how horrible the immigration system was when I first came to Adelaide , I used to hear teachers talking about it all the time yet never looked into it until years later. It's truely shameful to see I still imagine what would've happened if I wasn't processed legally and I was one of the lucky few who were processed in an exceptionally short time I have met people who took about 10 years until thier claim was processed.

This book truly encompassed all the feeling the fear the uncertainty migrants and asylum seekers go through