Life After Emancipation: Citizenship

Dumkirinur - For emancipated slaves, entering the Minmatar Republic and integrating with its culture is a long and slow process. Entire families have been uprooted as a result of Empress Jamyl's emancipation proclamation last year, and many former slaves have been split apart by the difficulties of leaving the Amarr Empire. Millions of refugees now struggle to find each other again and reclaim an identity they barely knew before their emancipation.

"Sometimes I just can't deal with it," says Onyeka Djekatro, recently freed slave who returned to the Republic. "There are so many people and so much to take in. Your mind just closes."

Counselors attending to the new citizens' needs have noted a high percentage of depression and various anxiety disorders in the former slaves. "We've made a concerted effort to reduce the levels of stress [the returning Minmatar] may experience," one counselor explained, describing the support network which has been made available. "The hardest part is to get them to take advantage of it. They're so accustomed to being ordered around by their Holders."

In the two months since her entry to the Republic, Onyeka has settled into the routine of her work at the Republic Military School, including supplemental education and cultural introduction sessions and visits to the station's Amarr worship center. She has made a few friends, and together they have adjusted to a more relaxed social life. "I still live on a schedule," she smiles. "It's not easy to simply break habits." Now that her family has benefited from the free transportation provided by the Sisters of EVE, Onyeka says they feel whole again, despite the new surroundings, and each family member looks forward to their new life as citizens of the Minmatar Republic.