Once a Refugee

In this series, we visit 4 extraordinary people with a shared link - they were once refugees.

Conflicts and persecution within Asia made them refugees, but their personal journeys are as varied as the homelands they left behind. Today, each has overcome adversity to find meaning and success in different forms.

Zarny Shibuya arrived in Tokyo from Myanmar when he was 8. He is now an established fashion designer with his own label.

Ronel Chakma Nani escaped persecution in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts, and now fights for human rights from South Korea.

Vietnamese Farah Dang was born in a refugee camp in Hong Kong. Now she is a dedicated volunteer helping refugees still awaiting repatriation.

Svay Sareth is a Cambodian artist who uses art to make sense of the 13 years spent in a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodia border.

We see the lives they have built and explore the lasting influence their refugee experience has had on their outlook and identity.