Prometheus in Athens

NAME: UMER FAROCK 

AGE: 16 

PLACE OF RESIDENCE: DOWNTOWN ATHENS

BIRTHPLACE: MULTAN, PAKISTAN 

ORIGIN: PAKISTAN

ON THE NIGHT OF THE PREMIERE HE WILL WALK FROM EXARCHIA STRAIGHT DOWN HARILAOU TRIKOUPI AND TAKE A LEFT TO REACH SYNTAGMA SQUARE.  THERE HE WILL ENTER PLAKA, WALK TOWARDS DIONYSIOU AREOPAGITOU, AND THEN CLIMB TO THE HERODION THEATRE.

 

Umer was born in Multan a province of Lahore.  He lost his father when he was 4 and grew up with his mother and sister.  A year ago he took the decision to leave Pakistan because of war.  “It’s your life, do what you need to do,” said his mother.  His journey was long, it lasted three months by foot: Iran-Turkey-Greece.  “ I saw a lot of things during that time.  It was very dangerous, I even lasted one week without food. Freezing cold weather and walking over mountains.”

Some people died on the way. “I didn’t care, I had to look after myself and survive.  I don’t even remember everything I went through.”
His first station in Greece was Thessaloniki.  There he took a car with other 4 people and reached Athens.  They asked him for money, because the journey from Pakistan is not completely free even if one risks his life on the way.  “I have no money,” he said.  His answer led him in handcuffs in a factory in Loutsa owned by a slave trader.  They beat him for four days.  He managed to escape and ran for four days but was caught by the police next to the airport. 

He was put to jail for three months.  Fortunately, a lawyer from an NGO took him out of jail and brought him to a house where underage immigrants live together.  “I feel I have a home after so long.  I am learning Greek and I want to go to school.  I can’t go back to my country.”

He has never come across to an ancient drama text.  He tries to read Prometheus with the few Greek he knows.  He would identify with Io and her wandering.  The Little Prince is a book he enjoys because he likes small things.  He feels comfortable living in Athens but he is not fully adapted yet.  He came to Greece by luck not by choice.