Displacements, South Africa
Photography by refugees living in and out of Africa
Project Manager: Marie Ange Bordas
Project title: Displacements
Photo by Rimal Shibu & Ana Ludski
Displacements is a participatory photography and art project with refugees living in and out of Africa created by artist Marie Ange Bordas. The project has been developed to give refugees the opportunity to express themselves creatively and to raise public awareness of their plight through art.
When talking about refugees media tends to focus on dramatic images of hordes of people crossing borders or starving at refugee camps. The public may respond compassionately from a distance, but may soon forget compassion when these faraway people become their neighbours. How do you see the individuality of millions? How to overcome stereotyped notions of the "other"? Displacements tries to make people aware of the complex reality of refugees by sharing their stories, wishes and hopes for a stable life.
Combining photography with other media, the workshops introduce media and art tools to communities in order to create work which reflects their conditions and aspirations. Photography is taught not only as a documentation tool but also as a means for creative development and interaction.
Each step of the project is developed during three to four months with a community. During this time a workshop takes place as well as artistic collaborations with different members of the group. The common goal is to set up an exhibition with the photos, where the message is transmitted through multimedia installations.
The project was started in 2001 in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a group of 16 children (from five to 15 years old) from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi and Congolese artists. During three months the children used photography and recycled materials to create artworks on their feelings about home and belonging, while the artists concentrated on preparing two installations for the final exhibition gathering together all the work produced.
In 2002, the project moved to France to the Massy Refugee Shelter and a group of 14 political refugees of various nationalities. Over four months the participants learned photography and darkroom techniques as well as video. After discussing how they wanted the local community to see them, the group created an exhibition focusing on issues like the radical changes in their lives and the frustrations the waiting process causes.
In 2003, a new Displacements project is in development at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya with a group of young adults.
All the work produced over three years has resulted in a comprehensive exhibition which has been shown in South Africa, New York and Brazil. At the moment, we are looking for new possibilities for exhibitions.
To find out more information on this project please go to: www.displacements.info