Redefining belonging: From statelessness to collective strength
‘Belonging is more than a legal status; it is a felt experience, woven through acceptance by your community and recognition by your government’
Originally published on Global Voices
Artwork by American artist and writer Zahra Marwan, who writes, ‘It is a picture of my mom as a teenager with her neighbors. Sometimes she tells me, ‘I should have never taken you guys over there so that you would be close to me.’ Why did she have to choose to either give us our human rights or let us live as an unbroken family?’ Used with permission.
By Christy Chitengu
Nigeria-born British writer Ben Okri once wrote, “The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love, and to be greater than our suffering.” For those of us who have known the feeling of belonging nowhere — of being unseen, unheard, and unrecognised — these words resonate deeply. They speak to the quiet strength it takes to endure a reality shaped by physical borders, the courage required to rise above them, and the hope that transformation is possible.
Belonging is more than a legal status; it is a felt experience woven through acceptance by your community and recognition by your government. It is found in the simple yet profound acts of building friendships, speaking local languages, and setting down roots in the place you call home. But for too many, these two forms of belonging — felt and formal — rarely converge. They often diverge at birth.
I know this divergence intimately. The experience of being born in a country, South Africa, in my case, and not being recognised as a citizen — neither by the place of my birth nor by the country of my parents — was a constant source of confusion, not just for me but for my community, as well. How could I belong so completely in a place — speaking its languages, embracing its culture, living my entire life there — yet remain invisible in the eyes of the state? Each time I had to explain why I wasn’t a citizen of the only home I had ever known or of the land my parents came from, it raised more questions than answers. The silence in those moments was a reminder of the borderlines drawn between me and a sense of full belonging. This is but one experience on the spectrum of statelessness. Where countless other stories unfold — each shaped by unique causes, driven by complex histories and compounded by discrimination.
Yet, as Okri reminds us, our capacity to be greater than our suffering is our most authentic truth. Statelessness tried to define me by what I lacked, but the human spirit’s ability to endure, to love, and to transform cannot be confined by the absence of a nationality document. It is this truth that has driven me to address the systems and policies that cause statelessness to endure. The determination to create a world where birth in one territory does not inhibit your ability to access basic education, healthcare, social security and employment. Rights that enable one to live with dignity and autonomy.
A world where my son never has to fear exclusion because of where his mother or father comes from — that is the future I fight for. Yet, the struggle to dismantle these deeply entrenched systems of exclusion is an emotionally exhausting journey, one that often feels lonely and insurmountable in the face of powerful states and rigid bureaucracies.
Amidst these challenges, I found strength in community. The Global Movement Against Statelessness became a space of solidarity, a testament to our collective resilience. Together, we are reshaping narratives, challenging injustice, and proving that our worth is not defined by borders or the documents that seek to erase us. Launched on February 27, 2024, the Global Movement Against Statelessness is led by those who have been directly impacted by statelessness, nationality deprivation, and discriminatory nationality laws. This leadership model combines lived and learned experiences to foster an inclusive, equitable, and collaborative approach. By embracing these values, we are not only advancing our cause but also challenging and transforming traditional leadership paradigms. Our group reflects this commitment, ensuring that every voice matters and that leadership is exercised with care, accountability, and intentionality.
As the Movement celebrates its first year, we also reflect on the path forward. The year ahead is about deepening our connections, strengthening our impact, and continuing to build a movement rooted in community, solidarity, and shared purpose. A key moment in this journey was our community call on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, which presented an opportunity to come together, reflect on our progress, and collectively shape the way forward.
Learn more about the Global Movement Against Statelessness by visiting the website.