In Her Poem "How Many More?" Lula Saleh Explores the Hardships Faced by Refugees

DIASPORA—In a touching poem entitled, How Many More Must Die?, Lula Saleh—an Eritrean-Ethiopian songwriter and poet—explores the excruciating journey thousands of refugees attempt each day in search of a better life. The poem is accompanied by visuals of migrants on crowded speedboats—their faces weary and scared, scenes of cramped refugee camps and of children crossing railway tracks.

Throughout the poem, Saleh questions governments and people's desensitization to human suffering.

“They have no licenses when they arrive even when we entice them with the dreams we sell of picket fences, freedom of religion, and democracy. We tell them come, come here be free. But when it's too many of you refugees, we'll say go back, go back where you came from or stay in the water and die," she sings.

To listen to the poem in full, watch the video below.