And We Shall Find Tales in the Shadows

Photovoice method is often used to give those, who feel like their voice does not matter, a chance to tell their story. For this post I looked into And We Shall Find Tales in the Shadows, a PhotoVoice project in partnership with World Vision UK documenting young Syrian refugees in Jordan.

In “And We Shall Find Tales in the Shadows” the camera was handed to 13 young people between the ages of 14 to 20. In 2014, they had just survived what is still the worst humanitarian crisis of the century [1]. The public debate on refugees often concentrates on numbers, which is why this kind of participatory approaches are needed to give the people in question a chance to express their voice. Instead of simply taking pictures of the young refugees, and that way turning their misery into art, PhotoVoice allows them an opportunity to give outsiders a glimpse into their lives. This can show a whole new perspective and also, be very empowering. [2].

The photos show a lot of fear, death, anger and frustration. Many of the young people had lost their families and been victims of sexual violence. However in many of the photos a hope for a better future is shown in a variety of ways – a moon lighting up the otherwise pitch black scene, birds in a cage captioned “even if you’re in a cage you can always sing and fly” and my favourite, two hands joined against a clear sky. However, even in this photograph the fear of losing the people around them is present (I don’t want people to leave me, they are my support. If they go, I fall)[3].

1. Inglis, S. (2020). The worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century: 5 questions on Syria answered. [online]. Available at: https://theconversation.com/the-worst-humanitarian-crisis-of-the-21st-century-5-questions-on-syria-answered-132571

(Accessed 27/10/2020)

2. Dantas, J. (2018). Empowerment and health promotion of refugee women. [online]. Available at: https://espace.curtin.edu.au/handle/20.500.11937/75503

(Accessed 27/10/2020)

3. Photovoice UK. (2014). And We Shall Find Tales In The Shadows - a unique glimpse into lives of young Syrian refugee. [online]. Available at: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qc3EWc8MB0s

(Accessed 27/10/2020)