OSIRE REFUGEE CAMP
Each year millions of children flee their homes to escape armed conflict. Growing up in exile, sometimes orphaned or separated from loved ones, they are often haunted by violence and loss – but also resilient enough to envision better days ahead.
Do You See What I See lets young refugees shine a light on their world and share it with others. Through writing and photography workshops led by The Most Important Picture's Brendan Bannon, they learn to capture their observations in a few lines of poignant prose or a single striking photograph.
In these words and images they reveal loss and longing, hope and fear, simple pleasures and complex emotions. Do you see what they see?
I dreamed that I grew many vegetables and I watered them every time.
And I was very proud of it.
And I took good care.
-Isabel (Osire Refugee Camp, Namibia)
STUDENT WORK
We suffered during the war. You know when a car is overloaded what happens, now imagine a human being over loaded. I said I am a refugee, a victim of discrimination, violated. But what can I do? Being a refugee is not simple. It’s a long process. I am studying very hard to become someone in the future. To rebuild my country, that is my objective. Imagine a person loaded like that, for a long journey from one country to another. Walking without shoes. What do you think?
I want this baby to be mine. I want to get a baby like this beautiful baby. I like the baby so much.
A journey of a million miles begins with a single step. A road. Who knows what a road means? This road was traveled by humans. During war the road was traveled in a way that even the road was tired. Human beings have traveled millions of miles during war.
Night This woman was looking for her child at night. Her child was lost. She found her child crying on the street. And after, she took her and put her on the bicycle and they went home. You cannot leave your baby at night, if you do she will get lost.
I have a brown color with black brown eyes, black hair and soft skin and I think I am a special girl. I am from Burundi. I usually help my mother with work at home. My mother is a refugee woman. 35 years as a refugee. She lived in Burundi then Rwanda. She was 10 or 11. She was an orphan. No father, no mother. Raised by anyone who would appear to care for her. She married in Rwanda. When the war in Rwanda started, she ran to Congo with my father and five children. She ran.
And here are some of the things that we use when we eat at home.
We are Bembe tribe from d.r.c. We flew from our country because of the war and conflict between ethnic tribes. It broke out in our area. We lost some of our family members, such as our uncle and others. And we had not our understanding.
Bones are found in some areas. Refugee bones were found many years ago. I know archeologists discovered many different kinds of bones. Some were human bones and others were animal bones. Taking this I felt like an archeologist.
Sleeping Dream One day at night someone was trying to bewitch me, but I was praying so that God would help me make that witch to go far away.
Young pastor If you ask my young brother what he will be, he says “I will be a pastor.” He likes so much Jesus.
Prison I dreamt that I was in prison. I don’t know how I got here. I just found myself in the big prison with a high fence.
I dreamed I dreamed that I grew many vegetables and I watered them every time. And I was very proud of it. And I took good care.
PROJECT PRESS
"Uprooted by War, Focused on Joy," New York Times
"See Refugee Life Through the Lens of Syrian Youth," American Photo
