Syria – Robogee is an animated character and Instagram-based comic that aims to change negative perceptions of refugees.
Inspired by the real stories of refugee youth, the concept was created by creative agency We Are Pi and non-profit-making organisation MAPs. The comic tells a story of a young robot refugee travelling across the galaxy, bringing together the experiences of displaced people on a platform where followers can engage with the refugee community directly.
‘We created Robogee as a community initiative that protects refugees from the mindset that they are hopeless victims. Robogee activates refugees to think about their futures and creates real hope,’ explains Dr Fadi Al Halabi, founder of MAPs. Bringing the project offline, Robogee will soon be turned into a hand-crafted toy by an artisan group of refugee and low-income Lebanese women called the Crochet Community, to further educate the public and support refugees.
Robogee shows how brands and media are turning to virtual storytelling to encourage empathy amid ongoing refugee crises.