Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam’s Post

· Here we are ! According to the UNHCR, “at least 103 million people around the world are forcibly displaced, 4.9 million are asylum seekers and 32.5 million are refugees – more than at any time in documented history.” Over half of the world’s refugees are children. In collaboration with Artolution, a global community-based public art and education non-profit organization, the World Economic Forum commissioned a large-scale mural entitled, The Colour of Resilience. Created by four separate groups of refugee youth currently living in the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan, the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda, the Rohingya Refugee Camp in Bangladesh and Venezualen refugee and internally displaced communities in Colombia. This large-scale work is the first collaborative, transcultural and internationally made public art from crisis contexts around the world. It is a celebration of resilience and each individual section is a physical artefact that represents the community where it was created and a way forward through one of the most pressing challenges of our time. https://lnkd.in/gjCx-Ezb

Art has long been a powerful tool for activism, giving voice to the voiceless and shining a light on critical issues. Banksy's latest installation—an inflatable boat filled with migrant figures at Glastonbury—is a stark reminder of the ongoing refugee crisis. As thousands risk their lives crossing treacherous seas seeking safety, this provocative piece forces us to confront the human cost of displacement. It arrives at a crucial moment, with the UK's controversial Rwanda bill threatening to further endanger vulnerable asylum seekers. Banksy's work cuts through political rhetoric, presenting a visceral image of desperation and hope. It challenges us to see beyond statistics and consider the individual stories of those fleeing conflict and poverty. In an era of information overload, such artistic interventions can break through the noise, sparking conversations and inspiring action. They remind us that behind every policy decision are real lives hanging in the balance. #ArtAsActivism #RefugeeCrisis #Banksy

Hi 5 people I know on LinkedIn 👋🏼 Happy Solstice and World Refugee Day! In my next post, I’ll share an upcoming article I wrote on the link between neuroaesthetics and joy. Our ancestors knew this connection intuitively and science is finally catching up. The article explores why people amid crackdowns in Iran and horrific conditions at the US-Mexico border, Gaza, and Congo prioritize communal celebrations. I interviewed 2 academic experts and 4 remarkable colleagues in the most dangerous parts of the world. Here's more⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gK3vwdfj

This week is #refugeeweek The theme is “Our Home” - from the places we gather to share meals to our collective home, here on Earth. Home can be a place of refuge, a feeling or a state of mind. Home can be found in smells, tastes and sounds. Home can found in the clothes we wear to the familiar words we grew up with. It’s in food, music and arts; in our cultures and in our landscapes. Home is not limited to a single place and finding a place to call "home" can be a journey, as it is for so many of us who have to leave our countries and rebuild our lives. Sometimes we can find home in a single person. Other times it’s in a whole community. And often, it’s in a single gesture of care and welcome. We are asking ourselves what would happen if this week we extended our warmth and hospitality beyond our own homes and made entire neighbourhoods more welcoming? Simple acts like having a chat, walking together, or sending a message of welcome can help somebody feel like they belong. Together, we can work in solidarity to ensure all our neighbours, new and familiar, have safe and welcoming homes. Together, this Refugee Week let’s practice our solidarity and make Our Home a more welcoming, safe and sustainable place for all. Refugee Week 2024 is 17–23 June. #RefugeeWeek #SimpleActs #EDI #diversity #inclusion #equality #wrexham #wrexhamuniversity #peopleandculture

Would you like to join us for Refugee Week Greece but you are not sure what to do? Here are some of the best ideas, coming from our Community itself: 💡 Cooking Exchange: Invite refugees to share their traditional recipes and cooking techniques with the community, followed by a communal meal where everyone dines together as they would at home. 💡 Art Exhibition: Showcase artworks and paintings created by refugees, depicting their interpretation of "home." Prompt questions like, "What does home mean to you? What was it in the past, what is it now, and what do you hope it will be in the future?" 💡 Video Interviews and Discussions: Organize a series of video interviews, photographs, and discussions exploring the concept of home. Encourage participants to share their experiences and aspirations related to home. 💡 Cultural Booths: Set up booths representing homes from various countries. For instance, recreate a living room, a dining area with food, or a room decorated for Christmas with corresponding customs from different countries. Provide texts, explanations, and immersive experiences for visitors to "step into" a refugee's home. 💡 Social Garden/Courtyard/Balcony: Create and utilize a social space like a garden, courtyard, balcony, or terrace where refugees and the neighborhood can come together. 💡 Discussion Panel: Host a discussion on the journey of finding a new "home," focusing on experiences in Greece. 💡 Craft Workshops: Organize workshops where refugees teach traditional crafts and techniques from their countries to create practical or decorative objects for the home. 💡 Community Cookbook: Collaborate with refugees and community members to compile a cookbook featuring stories and recipes that reflect diverse traditions. #RefugeeWeekGreece #OurHome #Community #SimpleActs Illustrations by Manjit Thapp

In recognition of World Refugee Week, Theresa Menders and I are pleased to announce the publication of the photo book "The Power of Faces: Looking at the Global Refugee Crisis." How do you address the Global Refugee Crisis? Documentary photographers and independent humanitarian advocates Daniel Farber Huang and Theresa Menders start one face at a time. The Power of Faces portrait project intentionally crops out the context of refugee camps to focus on individuals, and not merely their label as "refugees". The Power of Faces is a global refugee portrait project to raise awareness of what the United Nations calls "the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time." Led by Daniel Farber Huang and Theresa Menders, The Power of Faces seeks to add constructively to the conversation on who or "what" a refugee is. In this poignant, visually-stunning photography book, Huang and Menders show displaced people with their inherent beauty, courage, dignity, and grace. Importantly, The Power of Faces also captures the on-the-ground, oftentimes harsh reality that refugees face every day, further amplifying the value of recognizing individuals for who they are and not what they may be labeled. Huang and Menders have documented the plight of refugees in Greece, Bangladesh, Mexico, and the Ukraine border. With an Introduction by Willis Peter Bilderback at Brown University Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs https://lnkd.in/esURgYQ7 #ThePowerOfFaces #WorldRefugeeWeek #WorldRefugeeDay #HumanityFirst #UNHCR #IFC

VOICES OF REFUGEES. In the midst of one of the most severe humanitarian crises in recent memory, millions of refugees and asylum-seekers are fleeing countries ravaged by war. Amidst unimaginable pain and suffering, these individuals are simply seeking safety and peace. "Voices of Refugees" is a collection of stories revealing the human perspective behind the realities of displacement. Men, women, and children, each with their own unique narratives, are risking everything in pursuit of refuge from the horrors of conflict and violence. Along their arduous journeys to safety, many find themselves stranded in camps for extended periods, grappling with the challenge of rebuilding their lives in unfamiliar, often unwelcoming environments. This project aims at shedding a light on people's individual stories in an effort to expose the realities of human displacement. Started by Clara Veale and Shayanne Gal, two photographers and travelers who immersed themselves in refugee camps in Greece in 2016, "Voices of Refugees" was born out of a deep-seated desire to share the raw, poignant, and profoundly human experiences of the individuals they encountered daily. Evolving beyond its origins in Greece, "Voices of Refugees" has grown into a platform for global refugee narratives from diverse corners of the globe. With the support of a grant from The Pollination Project in 2017, Shayanne was able to elevate her project, raising awareness about the plight of refugees and securing additional resources to support refugee causes. Attaining non-profit status, she also launched a new website to serve as a repository for these stories and facilitate connections within the community. #refugees #humanity #kindness #humanrights #refugeecamps #storytelling #photography #heartivism #philanthropy #grantmaking #changemakers

It was an honour to moderate (for the first time 😊 ) and present at the recent Fragility Conference hosted by the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research on May 9th-10th, 2024. Our panel delved deep into the multifaceted issues surrounding fragility, offering diverse perspectives that illuminated the plight of vulnerable populations worldwide. We were fortunate to host distinguished speakers like Martin Gabriel, Samantha Stevens, Mahitosh Mandal, and Efrat Aviv, each offering invaluable perspectives on various aspects of fragility. Yet, I am particularly thrilled to highlight the contribution made by my colleagues Viktorija Kudra Beroš, Katica Jurčević, and myself, titled "Vulnerable People on the 'Balkan Route'." The global landscape of migration has illuminated intricate challenges impacting millions, igniting pressing humanitarian concerns. Our presentation aimed to delve into the vulnerability of migrants, especially those traversing the perilous Balkan route, and to scrutinize the hurdles they face in asserting their fundamental human rights. Guided by Judith Butler's profound concept of vulnerability, we explored the precarious existence of migrants and their reliance on others, exposing them to heightened levels of fragility. Through a comprehensive blend of historical analysis and contemporary examples, we examined Croatia's response to the redirected refugee migration flow in 2015. In summary, our presentation not only shed light on the fragility of human rights but also advocated for concerted efforts to address the root causes of migration, while championing the dignity and rights of all individuals, regardless of their legal status or nationality. This conference provided a vital platform for fostering meaningful dialogue and collaboration, reaffirming our collective commitment to advancing justice and equality in an increasingly fragile world. #Fragility #Migration #HumanRights #BalkanRoute #Ethics #SocialJustice #Refugees #Conference

'You Can See Me, But I Dont, Exist' Photobook In the UK, people seeking asylum similarly endure extended periods of uncertainty while awaiting a response to their applications. Unable to work, they may endure poverty or destitution, poor physical and mental health, and even internment in a detention centre. If their application is rejected, they must come to terms with not only the wasted years but also the frightening prospect of being forced to return to a country that they risked all to leave. Those who remain in the UK after their asylum application has been rejected face an uncertain and insecure future, entirely dependent on the support of family, friends, and charitable organisations. To create a visual metaphor for the corrosive impact of the asylum process on individuals, Gignoux worked with a camera obscura using a long exposure to blur the identity of the refugees whom he photographed while leaving the background in focus. Seeking to include the refugees’ voices in the project, he invited the people whom he photographed, as well as other refugees who wanted to participate, to write a creative response to the blurred portraits in writing workshops. Exhibition-in-a-book Intended for display in libraries and schools across the UK during Refugee Week 2023 and beyond to raise awareness of issues affecting asylum seekers, “You can see me, but I don’t exist” has been designed as an exhibition-in-a-book. It is presented in a binder with installation suggestions and can be returned to the binder at the end of the exhibition to be experienced as a book. The exhibition-in-a-book includes refugee portraits by Alan Gignoux, poems written by refugees in response to the portraits, an introductory essay about the asylum process in the UK by policy researcher Woodren Brade, suggestions on how to install the exhibition, suggestions for writing workshop prompts, an A2 foldout poster with the exhibition title. A limited number of the books are being made available for sale to support the project. The remainder will be sent to libraries and schools for their use, free of charge. The project and exhibition are sponsored by a National Lottery Project Grant awarded by Arts Council England. Edition of 60 https://lnkd.in/ePx3zDGi

Hope away from home. Leaving one's homeland is never a deliberate choice. Becoming a refugee is an unforeseen circumstance. Imagine yourself in the shoes of someone who had to leave their home abruptly. What sources of hope would you seek in such a situation? Alternatively, if you have experienced forced displacement, what moments have kindled hope within you? Hope away from home" is beautifully depicted through a blend of colors, emotions, and symbolism. The illustration portrays a person running at the edge of a vibrant, lush landscape, which contrasts with the distance behind them that gradually fades into a more muted and uncertain terrain. This symbolic division represents the transition from home to the unknown. The central figure, with a sense of resilience in their posture, gazes back with a mixture of determination and vulnerability. Their face reflects the emotional weight of leaving behind the familiar, yet there's a spark of hope in their eyes. Floating above the person, a flock of birds takes flight, symbolizing the yearning for freedom and the journey towards a brighter future. Their flight path forms a gentle curve that connects the figure to a distant horizon, where a faint glimmer of light signifies the potential for new beginnings. Around them, a scattering of belongings - a worn suitcase, a treasured photograph - evoke memories of what was left behind.A delicate bridge connects the two realms, its arch symbolizing the transition from home to the uncharted. The bridge is adorned with vibrant flowers, reminiscent of the resilience and growth that can emerge in new environments.In the distant horizon, a faint glow emerges, hinting at the promise of a new beginning. This illustration encapsulates the complex emotions of leaving home, the courage to step into the unknown, and the enduring flame of hope that guides the way forward. #This artwork was created for the UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, as part of the Youth with Refugees Art Contest 2023.