Don T Forget Us Here Sparknotes

Mansoor Adayfi’s memoir, Don’t Forget us Here elicits so many conflicting emotions. As I read through the horrible dehumanizing treatment of detainees, I was left in shock and sadness. However, as I read on and discovered the beauty that many of the detainees desperately salvaged each day I couldn’t help but feel joy and hopefulness. How could so much optimistic devotion and beautiful artwork come from a place designed to break wills and present an utterly bleak future?

Adayfi’s first recollections of Guantanamo are nothing short of a living hell. The physical brutality of the guards is abhorrent. However horrifyingly, the worst punishments usually weren’t the frequent brutal beatings. Detainees were forced to endure long periods of solitary

As the prison changes leadership there are consistent changes towards treating detainees more humanely. Firstly, interactions between prisoners and guards improve monumentally. As the detainees realize their better treatment, they make connections with the guards. As the barrier of fear that previously disconnected the guards slowly dissolves away, they start to see their prisoners for what they are, just people. This profound change caused a shift in Adayfi’s mindset which can be seen in his writing. Instead of focusing on the will to endure the constant struggles of life as a prisoner he focuses on the will to find happiness and light as a community. This community however doesn’t just include the Muslim prisoners, the guards are integrated as well. Adayfi speaks of prisoners sending well wishes and flowers to the guards family. Every step towards friendship is a way of breaking down barriers to reach understanding. With understanding comes a perspective of emotion. Emotions define us as humans and also connect us. These small gestures of kindness between the guards and detainees is the essential starting point towards the humanization and resulting better treatment of prisoners within

As restrictions eased, the detainees were allowed paper, pens and pencils to draw. Through creative expression many of the prisoners were able to find their individual identity once again. After living so long in a facility designed to tear away every last shred of individuality and freedom of self expression, prisoners were filled with so much pent up emotion. When I first encountered Adayfi’s artwork it struck me that despite its elegant simplicity, it seemed to convey so much emotion. One particular piece stuck out to me, one that was split into two halves. On the right side of the page stood a drooping, dying flower filled with darkness and despair. To contrast, on the left side in equal symmetry, stood the other half of the flower brightly blooming and full of color and life. I believe that this piece symbolizes the change in treatment in Guantanamo Bay, but also the mindset of Adayfi. One side symbolizes the past which was filled with the constant struggle to survive despite the ever looming darkness. On the other side is the present and future which portrays a hope for growth and improvement. One more important detail remains in Adayfi’s picture. The bottom of the painting depicts what appears to be a sunset perhaps over the waters of the bay. This strip is filled with color and brightness and spans