Migrantsoul
Migrantsoul displays photographs of migrants from Bangladesh, throughout
Asia and Europe. Internationally-renowned photographer Shahidul Alam followed
the trail of migrants and refugees, registering it in photographs and on video.
Migrantsoul is a website about borders. The site shows that the
borders of countries are not the only barriers that migrants must
pass. For the poor of Bangladesh, migration seems to be the only
way to avoid their fate. To them migration is not only a means
to achieve economic freedom, Alam explains, but also a passport
for social mobility.
The photographs create a feeling of displacement. A photograph of
a pair of strong laced shoes tells about the life of a migrant in
Nepal. At home his feet were always bare; in Nepal he must get used
to wearing shoes. Another photograph portrays a cleaning woman in
an abandoned lecture theatre. The accompanying text explains that
she works at a university in Singapore. Sometimes she hears rich
female students from Bangladesh talking in her native tongue. But
if she tries to talk with them, they pretend they do not understand
the language.
www.migrantsoul.net
Marieke van der Velden
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