Photographic exhibition by Mohamed Keita
Scottish Refugee Festival
As part of Refugee Festival Scotland, the Italian Cultural Institute of Edinburgh are holding a photography exhibition to showcase the work of Mohamed Keita.
The exhibition tells the story of Mohamed Keita, who arrived in Rome from Ivory Coast, and discovered his passion for photography. Escaped at the age of 14 from his country, to survive the civil war that had claimed his parents’ lives, Keita has wandered, for more than three years, on a journey around the African continent before embarking toward Italy.
From Sicily, where he arrived, he then reached Rome, where he slept for four months at the Roma Termini Station. Through photography he has built part of his identity as a survivor, and managed to find a possible professional venue. His camera is often focused on those who, like him, are veterans of this harsh odyssey and are forced to live in perilous and inhumane conditions.
The result is a dramatic portrait of the Italian capital, which on the one hand is a place visited by millions of tourists each year, and on the other, a city where many poor people are in need of help. The art of Mohamed Keita highlights these contrasts, with the aim of transmitting hope for the future.
The exhibition offers the unique chance to witness the journey of the photographer, and that of many other refugees in Rome, plus the possibility to observe one of Europe’s most famous cities from a new perspective.
The beauty of Rome is difficult to describe.
This is my personal vision of the city; I think about the antiquities of Rome and about all the tourists who visit – it gives me strength.
There are so many different visions of Rome: the city’s character, the panorama, the city by night, and even Rome in the rain. When I am in the city centre, especially in main tourist spots, hearing so many different languages and watching different behaviours makes me think a lot. I would call Rome a city of encounters.
However, there are also other aspects of the city which are sad; there are a lot of people who are enduring great hardship. They are poor and their great difficulty is caused by a lack of money to satisfy their needs.
Nobody wants to be poor, but sadly, we know that in life it is never possible for everyone to be equal. It is like the fingers on a hand: there are five but they all differ in size, length, width …. We cannot all be rich or all poor, but it is surely better to help those who do not have the chance to live well. In this city there are a lot of people living on the streets; to think they have never had one beautiful day in their lives makes me feel sad.
We need to help each other, people of different nationalities, we must work together. Although we have different views, we need to have trust in the possibility of change because anything can happen at any time, even that which we cannot imagine. We must have the courage to look for a better future.
It is said that the more you see, the better it is.
Scottish Refugee Council is an independent human rights charity dedicated to supporting people who have fled horrific situations around the world. We believe in a Scotland in which all people seeking refugee protection are welcome and where people seeking sanctuary can live dignified and safe lives.
The individuals and families we work with are from countries where conflict is rife and human rights abuses are common-place. We are proud to welcome and provide sanctuary to people fleeing conflict and persecution in countries like Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan.
We have been advocating and campaigning for the rights of refugees since 1985, and in 2015 we celebrated our 30th anniversary.
Free Event