The October 31 to November 9 exhibition depicts the stories of 400 people who attempted crossing to Europe via the Central Mediterranean sea, fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The artwork is by Barly Tshibanda (DR Congo), Souad Kokash (Syria), Tawab Safi (Afghanistan) and Ngadi Smart Sierra Leone).
“These are real stories of people who have been rescued by MSF from Libya,” MSF engagement officer Abdi Mohamed said on Saturday.
A banner on the sidelines of the event noted that many were speaking from Libya. Others shared their stories aboard search and rescue vessels in 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 were omitted.
For this exhibition, refugees were 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 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,” MSF said in a statement.
Under the theme ““Nothing about us without us”, the initiative cast refugees as not mere subjects but active contributors to the storytelling process.
”All artists, filmmakers and actors involved bring their own refugee backgrounds and shared migrant journeys, creating a tapestry of stories by refugees, for refugees. This is a collective act of storytelling, a reclamation of ownership over how stories are shared and preserved,” MSF said.
Four artists each illustrated 100 vibrant portraits, drawing inspiration from the testimonies they received. Every portrait was paired with a testimony, carefully edited for clarity.
