Powerful images by young refugees of war depicting life in a Ugandan refugee settlement will be on display at the National Geographic Museum from Thursday, May 17 through Monday, September 3. The exhibit coincides with World Refugee Day on June 20 and aims to highlight the plight of those who have fled war, famine and other disasters in their home countries.
The 60 photographs were selected from thousands taken during a Photo Camp held for young refugees ages 12-20 at a settlement in western Uganda where International Medical Corps provides health care services. The photo workshops held in November 2006 were a collaboration between National Geographic and International Medical Corps, in partnership with the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR.
Mentored by renowned National Geographic photographers Reza Deghati, Ed Kashi and Chris Rainier, and South African photographer Neo Ntsoma, the students were taught photographic techniques and guided through the process of telling a story through images. They attended a series of workshops where they were assigned the topics “Surroundings,” “My Life in the Camp” and “Self-portraits.” The workshops allowed the young people to express their feelings of displacement and their interpretation of home through photography. International Medical Corps staff then used the photographs in counseling the students on coping with the turbulence of refugee life.
In viewing their lives through the camera’s lens, the participants not only produced striking photographs, but the process allowed them to unlock painful images and experiences from the past. Relief agencies like International Medical Corps have realized that art therapy is an effective tool in helping with long-term recovery for traumatized populations, especially children.
An identical exhibit, titled “Through the Eyes of Children: Life as a Refugee in Uganda,” will be displayed at Oxo Tower Wharf in London from June 14 to July 1. UNHCR also will display the photographs at the National Museum of Uganda in Kampala to commemorate World Refugee Day beginning June 18.