This exhibition presents the faces and voices of 400 people whose lives have been indelibly marked by their experiences searching for a safe life. Their stories have been selected from several of testimonies shared by refugees with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) over the past decade. Many were speaking from Libya. Others shared their stories aboard search and rescue vessels on the Mediterranean Sea, after being rescued from boats in distress as they attempted the perilous crossing to Europe. To protect their identities, refugees’ names and personal details have been omitted, but their stories (which have been edited for clarity) speak for themselves.
The 400 portraits in this exhibition have been created by four artists, who were inspired to put a face to every story. These images bring alive the faceless statistics of individuals who have endured physical abuse, kidnapping and sexual violence in their search for refuge, and pay tribute to their resilience and enduring human spirit. Every face represents a human being deserving of compassion and safety.
For this exhibition, refugees have been active contributors to the storytelling process. All of the artists, filmmakers and actors involved in the project themselves come from refugee or migrant backgrounds. Their shared experiences have helped create a mosaic of stories by refugees, for refugees, that can speak to everyone. This is a collective act of storytelling – a reclamation of ownership over how stories are shared and preserved.
Credits
Interactive map and data visualisations developed by Code for Africa, with additional support from the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).
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