A refugee advocate has become the first person to run from Cape Town to London as part of campaign to raise awareness about the plight of forcibly displaced people.

Ugandan British runner Deo Kato ran almost 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometres) across 21 countries, in an epic year and a half on the road, to raise awareness about racism and reclaim the story of human migration.

Born in Uganda and raised in the United Kingdom, Deo began running as a way to manage his health. But his running gradually became an expression of his activism.

Deo wanted to tell the story of human migration, highlighting parallels between the 113 million people currently forced to leave their homes in search of safety and a better life – and the earliest movement of humans out of Africa.

He had hoped to complete the challenge in 381 days – the same number of days that African Americans in Alabama staged the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 – but a number of setbacks has put him behind schedule.

“The Khoisan people in South Africa, for example, are moving based on climate. They migrate to find a better environment that they can live in. So, we’re moving for the same reasons that anthropologists believe early humans used to move,” Deo said.

By highlighting the origins of migration, he hopes to challenge the racist notion that people should “go back to where they come from”.

“I know that Africa is the origins of humanity and if you tell someone that they should go back to where they come from that means we all basically have to go back to where we come from,” he said.

“My overall objective is basically to work towards ending racism.”

The 36-year-old London-based runner started his journey on 24 July last year from Cape Town’s Long March to Freedom monument, which commemorates the anti-apartheid struggle.

“Having the South African community send me off from the landmark was incredibly meaningful,” he said.

The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 – a watershed moment in global reckoning around racial injustice – became a turning point for Deo.

He realised his running could serve a purpose beyond endurance.

“‘I thought, ‘I have to do something about this. Whether it’s small or big, I want to use my running to create change and speak out against racial injustice. I’m going to keep doing this for as long as I can because this is how change happens’,” he said.

Deo’s journey was long and arduous. Scaling mountains, crossing deserts, and running through wildlife reserves, Deo moved through landscapes that constantly shifted around him.

“It feels incredible just to be moving. Then, suddenly, I see elephants and children start running beside me,” he shares.

As part of the journey, Deo witnessed how difficult and restrictive migration can be, particularly for people displaced by climate impacts, economic pressure or conflict.

He witnessed how limited regular pathways and movement restrictions leave many people effectively unable to move within their own regions, trapping them in unsafe or uncertain situations and cutting off routes to safety.

“Some people end up detained simply for trying to flee conflict or because they are seen as outsiders. Even when they have the correct paperwork, they can still be held,” he said.

At one point, Deo himself was detained despite having the correct documents. In other areas, he was forced to reroute his journey because of conflict or restricted access.

“Being Ugandan often raised questions for the authorities, making them wary of me,” he said.

 His experience mirrored the suspicion and bureaucracy many displaced people face simply because of where they come from.

Despite the challenges, Deo’s journey was sustained by community support. Along the way, local runners, strangers, and online supporters joined him. Those moments of shared effort and solidarity kept him going.

“Without that community support, I would not have succeeded on this journey. It’s what truly gave it meaning,” he says.

Deo shared this experience on IOM UK’s Moving Voices Podcast

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/mar/14/muddy-roads-angry-farmers-and-civil-war-one-mans-epic-run-from-cape-town-to-london

STORIES – An 8,262 Mile Run From Cape Town to London to Challenge Migration Stereotypes