Diva - not diva

Celebrated soprano Barbara Hendricks has been an advocate for refugees for 24 years. As Honorary Goodwill Ambassador for Life of the UN refugee agency she has met displaced persons, humanitarian workers and political leaders the world over. As late as last October she visited camps for Somali and Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia. Mrs Hendricks is also Chairperson for ‘UNHCR Fundraising Foundation’ in Sweden.

Text: Hanne M Mathisen
Photos: Paul Hansen / Hanne Mathisen

What has being a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador given you?

It has given me the opportunity to work with something I really believe in. The way I look at life and politics has been greatly affected by meetings with refugees, it has taught me about humility. There have been times when I think I should step aside as Goodwill Ambassador. But then when I meeting refugees that have gone through so much hardship and still do not give up, like I did on my recent visit to Ethiopia, I feel an obligation, and indeed an honor, to continue carrying the torch.

It has also enriched me to get to know UNHCR staff, who are so devoted and sacrifice so much, who risk their lives – including their personal lives. You have to be willing to have a chaotic personal life if you are going to do this job. I think you have to be a little bit crazy; it’s a wonderful craziness. It’s good to know that there is a very concrete level where believing in promotion of human rights is really working.

How would you describe the current asylum discourse?

Politicians are starting to take cues from the far right, rather than standing up and saying ‘This is not the society we want to be’. They try to appease them because they are so afraid to loose those votes. If you want to lead, you have to lead, not try follow what’s in the polls.

Forced return of rejected asylum-seekers, especially those taking place against UNHCR’s advice, have been widely debated. Comments?

Without going into the security concerns for those that are returned in this way, for instance to central parts of Iraq, the consequences of ignoring UNHCR is that it weakens our ability to do what we do. What we have to do at UNHCR, within the limits of our mandate, is so difficult. We are the fire truck that arrives when the fire is just dying down. There has been a fire in the house, it has burnt down and we are going to try to do something with the ashes. That is really what we do. And then not to respect what UNHCR has to say about a refugee situation eats away at our credibility and our ability to even deal with the ashes.

What do you se as the most serious threats to refugees’ safety and dignity?

The biggest threat to refugees is lack of understanding. When I started working for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) some 24 years ago I gave myself the task of trying to peel away the ignorance and change the way people think about refugees. Take this country, Sweden, as an example. When refugees arrive in a new neighbourhood, there is no one there to help the people who live there understand who the refugees are, where they come from, to get people to meet. And not enough is done to prepare the refugees for a life of dignity in a new country.

The Refugee Convention is turning 60 this year. Is it still relevant?

Within UNHCR the commitment to the mandate has not been lost, nor the flexibility. When UNHCR received its temporary mandate, the refugees it was mandated to deal with were European, white, running away from Communism and that fitted the scenario of the Cold War very well. When the refugees started to change and become browner and browner, and not from Europe, the attitude towards the organisation changed. With new challenges, conflict patterns and increase in internally displaced, for instance, UNHCR has tried to adapt within its mandate.

How did you end up in Sweden and with a Swedish citizenship?

I have lived in Europe since 1976, first in Paris and later in Switzerland. My connection to Sweden is one of love, music and the nature. I came here for professional reasons, and it was through music that I met my first and second husband, both of whom are Swedish. And my musical family is Swedish too, as I mainly work with Swedish musicians. My secondary home is in the Stockholm archipelago. I love being out there, particularly in the winter time, away from the noise of this world.

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