Stay Home

Refugees mostly live in sub-standard conditions. Their dwellings are moldy, damp, under-equipped with basic furniture, overcrowded, in need of repairs, and sometimes general renovation. Meanwhile, the provision of decent housing facilitates integration into local communities and accelerates coping with post-traumatic stress disorder. I encountered the aforementioned problems as a photographer and activist. I was engaged in retrofitting refugee housing, transportation, etc., but it was only during the pandemic that I realized how fortunate I was to have a safe place—a home—where I could retreat, dedicate myself to studying or working remotely without being exposed to the virus. Centers for foreigners did not offer such security. I became involved in the process of finding accommodation for first two, and then one family, accompanying them throughout. In collaboration with the eldest daughter of the M. family, we interviewed potential landlords, documented living conditions in the center, the move, and the new flat. Alija is a co-author of the materials presented here.

In the Medininkai Camp, southeast of Vilnius, the prisoners, both men and women, were prohibited from speaking directly to anyone outside. To circumvent this restriction, a Red Cross worker, Rokas Misikonis, asked them to create images. They were provided with paints, brushes, and, instead of canvases, doors dismantled from old buildings. The doors carry a message, but for many migrants, they still remain closed. Authors: John Nsingi-Mwendo, Yaiza Khudeda, Haveen Jasim Haji, Aritin Amazed Dakhil, Holya Karo Quasim Quasim, Shilan Saleem, Roza. ‍