Migrants speak in many ways through project

From Western News, February 12, 2020
By Debora van Brenk

He sits with his left leg crossed over his right, stares at the floor, then straight ahead. He leans forward, folds his long arms into each other, his gaze unwavering, defiant.

She picks at a fingernail, closes her eyes. Dries a trickling tear with the back of her hand. Lifts her chin towards the camera, smiles ruefully.

He clenches his fists like a boxer, knuckles protecting his jaw and elbows tucked in tight to his ribs, and jabs at empty air. Sits down. Buries his head in in his hands.

Somehow in their silences, entire chapters emerge. Stories of trauma and survival, resilience and perseverance. Dignity, even after deep suffering.

The Reverie Project is a multi-channel exhibition that shares video portraits of 20 people in a migrant community in Geneva, Switzerland ­– a city that is also home of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the international treaty that defines who a refugee is and sets out the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum (continue reading).