Tale of Ahmed

The Tale of Ahmed is an epic poem about the dangerous journey of a teenage boy: Ahmed, who travels from Afghanistan across the Middle East and Europe, to seek refuge in England. It is written in rhyme
and illustrated with pen and ink drawings by the author.

Henry Cockburn lives at one end of a long trail stretching from Afghanistan to the southeast coast of England. His home in Kent is close to where small, frail boats arrive bringing refugees on the last lap of their 6,000-mile journey from Kabul and the Hindu Kush. Meeting and talking with refugees, Henry became aware that even they themselves rarely understand the heroic nature of their odyssey. The journey's never-ending risks have become second nature to them. For most others, they are simply unknown. Correcting such misperception is one of the objectives of this epic tale.

The fictionalized journey described in The Tale of Ahmed is based on accounts that Cockburn has heard about the dangerous journey of Afghan refugees. Ahmed gets help from others on the same journey and finds unexpected friends along the way, but he is also exploited for money by crooks and cheats, and targeted as a pariah. The poem focuses on not only the Afghans' sufferings but also their courage and resilience in making a gruelling passage.