Life Stopped / Hope - Vida detenida / Esperanza

In April 2016 a photography workshop was held with seven boys and girls of 14-23 years living in the Refugee Camp of Ritsona (Greece). The goal, beyond documenting the lives of the protagonists, was to provide a tool for self-expression in those tragic and crucial moments of their lives. Under the slogan "take pictures of what you see, what you think and what you feel" they used analogic disposable cameras and walked through the Camp to show their reality. Days later, with the pictures in their hands, they created a notebook in order to describe what they observed. The result -several poster boards with the photographs combined with their writing- was shared in the group and then in a small exhibition in The Big Tent (the meeting point in the Camp), arousing the interest among community of residents. Both the pictures and the texts show a critical, rebellious and demanding vision of young people about their living conditions, that especially focused on children. Even considering the great difficulty of establishing fluid communication dynamics, since the participants spoke three different languages, this kind of workshop can demonstrate that photography is a viable way to express their experiences in their own voices and an effective means to help empower those who have lost so much. This photograph work has two parts. The first is about the photographer look about the Camp and the second one is a look about the work of the boys and girls.

Life Stopped/Hope 1. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016
Life Stopped/Hope 2. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016
Life Stopped/Hope 3. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
Life Stopped/Hope 4. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016
Life Stopped/Hope 5. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
 
What you see, what you think, what you feel 1. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
What you see, what you think, what you feel 2. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
What you see, what you think, what you feel 3. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
What you see, what you think, what you feel 4. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
What you see, what you think, what you feel 5. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
What you see, what you think, what you feel 6. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
What you see, what you think, what you feel 7. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
What you see, what you think, what you feel 8. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
What you see, what you think, what you feel 9. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
What you see, what you think, what you feel 10. Ritsona Refugees Camp, April 2016.
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