Middle Eastern Studies Program, Human Rights Program, Center for Civic Engagement, and Bard College Alumni/ae Association Present
"Through Our Eyes" Photo Exhibit Opening Reception, 12/11
Runs through Friday, December 20, 2019
Campus Center, Lobby
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST/GMT-5
Through Our Eyes, the photography project realized by young asylum seekers in the hotspot of Samos, Greece, will be exhibited at Bard College. Opening night will be on December 11, 6-7 PM.6:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST/GMT-5
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The photography project “Through Our Eyes” shows the daily lives of asylum seekers living in the ‘hotspot’ camp on Samos Island, Greece, through their own eyes. Behind the camera, instead of reporters or journalists, we find teenage boys and girls who have been living in this camp for months.
Samos is one of the five ‘hotspots’ in Greece, receiving hundreds of new arrivals a month. The Island’s refugee camp, originally built to accommodate 500 people currently hosts more than 5,000. With the increasing influx of people and lack of support from Greek and International powers, people are left to survive in conditions that do not meet basic human needs. It is estimated that over 25% of people living in the camp are children, 200 of which are unaccompanied minors. The circumstances of the island severely restricts the educational, recreational, and social development of these children, leaving them with little option to continue their studies.
The Mazi Youth Center is the only educational option for these children on the island, run by the NGO Still I Rise. Founded in June 2018, Mazi provides informal education and psychosocial support for children aged 12 to 17 living in the Camp. Through the support of Mazi and Still I Rise, this exhibition is possible.
Please join us in viewing the realities of life on Samos through their eyes.
Through Our Eyes and Still I Rise NGO websites:
https://through-oureyes.com
https://www.stillirisengo.org
Relevant articles:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/12/through-our-eyes-pictures-young-migrants-samos-greece
https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/on-a-greek-island-that-welcomed-migrants-residents-and-refugees-feel-abandoned
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/travel/samos-greece-migrants-refugees-tourists.html
For more information, call 518-763-2030, or e-mail [email protected].
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST/GMT-5
Location: Campus Center, Lobby