Fridoon Joinda is a speaker, UN award-winning filmmaker, and the founder and director of Joinda Production, a non-profit video production entity focused on questions of social justice. In May 2024, he participated in an event co-organized by AmCham Greece, the US Embassy in Athens and UNHCR that showcased the potential of refugee inclusion as a catalyst for societal progress and business growth. Business Partners caught up with him to find out more about his story, work, and hopes for the future.
It’s fair to say that your focus on social justice and your work in human rights advocacy have been shaped by your own journey. Tell us a little bit about your background.
I was born into a family deeply rooted in journalism, art, and activism in Kabul, a city with a rich cultural history but also fraught with conflict. After completing high school, I began studying computer science. However, our work in media and journalism brought death threats upon us. This challenging situation forced my family and me to flee Afghanistan in early 2016.
In our interconnected world, our actions resonate far beyond our immediate circles
We found ourselves in Iran, where millions of Afghan refugees live in dire situations and are undocumented, which strips them of a future. As a young man with dreams and aspirations, I refused to surrender. I chose to embark on a long and dangerous journey, determined to reach a country where I could freely express my thoughts and pursue my education, or perish in the attempt.
This decision was agonizing for my family. Ultimately, my two brothers and I decided to embark on the journey. After months of traveling borders, enduring beatings, robberies, and being locked up, we finally crossed the Aegean Sea on August 11, 2016. It was one of the most harrowing nights of my life, and after seven hours in the water, we landed on Lesvos Island.
On Lesvos, you were placed in Moria RIC. How did your experience in the camp strengthen your commitment to social justice?
I lived in Moria camp for over a year. The harsh conditions in the camp motivated me, and I started filming and documenting the refugee experience with my cellphone. I was determined to share our reality through films and storytelling, using the same tools that forced us to leave our homeland. Thus, Joinda Production was born. Over the years, despite limited resources, I’ve produced numerous documentaries shedding light on our struggles. These films have been screened around the world and have gained international recognition.
Refugees have always brought new skills and cultures to their new societies
In 2017, you received a scholarship to study toward a bachelor’s degree. Tell us about it and the impact it has had.
The more hardship I experienced, the more questions I had: Why me? Why us? As I sought understanding and knowledge, I discovered Education Unites, an academic scholarship program for refugee students provided by Deree. I applied immediately and was accepted, and so I moved to Athens in the fall of 2017. Despite the difficult journey spanning nearly seven and a half years to earn my BA in Communication, I proudly graduated in June 2024 and also received a Diversity Advocacy Award and the Inspirational Spirit Award and gained the title of Student Scholar of the Center of Excellence in Sustainability.
Globally, only 7% of refugees have access to higher education, highlighting the significance of my opportunity. Engaging in education again helped me regain my lost self esteem, and the more I learned, the more questions I had, particularly about history, politics, and human psychology. This journey taught me that, as humans, we share similar needs and rights regardless of color and that advocating for these rights through cooperation rather than conflict ensures a higher likelihood of those needs being met for you, me, and everyone else.
Refugee inclusion can be a gamechanger, benefitting refugees as well as local communities. What are your thoughts on this, particularly in Greece?
Refugees are victims of unsettled circumstances and situations. This forces them to leave their homes and enter another territory for safety and protection. This has been happening for thousands of years, across eras and times, and examples of it can be found throughout history: Even the Renaissance in Europe was partly driven by refugees.
Refugees have always brought new skills and cultures to their new societies. Greece, for instance, can significantly benefit from the cultural diversity and skills that refugees bring, enriching society and the workplace with new ideas and innovations. Refugees seek opportunities to rebuild their lives and independence and to give back to the host society. So, hiring refugees not only boosts the host country’s economy but also enhances companies’ productivity and innovation through diverse backgrounds and skill sets.
Importantly, however, supporting refugees is a fundamental responsibility of any civilized society. Providing opportunities for refugee integration upholds democratic values and human rights. It is crucial to act on these principles, recognizing our interconnectedness and fulfilling our responsibilities as human beings by supporting one another.
What’s next for you? What are your hopes for the future?
In 2024, despite being accepted to MA programs at Denver University and American University with generous scholarships, the remaining costs and my refugee status made it impossible to attend. So at the moment, I continue to work on The Untold, a video podcast inspired by my experience in the summer of 2023, doing a field course on migration and refugee studies in Lesvos thanks to a scholarship from Harvard. The Untold addresses the communication gap between refugees, local communities, and authorities through honest conversations. Ultimately, the podcast aims to raise awareness of human rights, cooperate with individuals, organizations, and communities, and advocate for policy changes that benefit individuals and societies.
In our interconnected world, our actions resonate far beyond our immediate circles. By accepting and supporting each other, we can foster a more tolerant world, ensuring that everyone has the chance to live with dignity and hope.
