Announcing a photo show about human trafficking in which the photographers are all the actual survivors. Previous story in TDM http://www.thedreamingmachine.com/voice-of-freedom-trafficked-women-speak-leila-segal/
Voice of Freedom: Photography by Women Who Have Escaped Slavery
An Extraordinary Exhibition at the Polo del ‘900 Cultural Centre,
Turin June 20 – July 8, 2018
For the opening event June 20 at 20:30, the women photographers will be present. June 20 marks International day of the Refugee.
Ten women who escaped modern-day slavery are now telling their own stories, through photography. Just a year ago some of them were watching their friends die in the sea crossing to Italy. On June 20th, their museum-quality photographs go on display in one of Turin’s premiere cultural venues, the Polo del 900.
Voice of Freedom put the victims behind the view finder, instead of in front of the lens.
We gave these ten Nigerian women cameras and encouraged them to use them to tell their stories, the way they want to tell them. The results were extraordinary and empowering.
Their pictures, and the searingly honest narratives they created to go with them, are not just important documents in the ongoing debate about human trafficking, but also a body of artistic work that is deeply moving.
When many of these women arrived in Italy after their harrowing trips from Africa, they were the prisoners of traffickers and slavers, and many were forced into prostitution. They were freed with the help of caring and decent Italians, and found refuge in one of Italy’s most-admired women’s shelters, Piam Onlus in Asti, northern Italy.
When and where: Their work goes on show June 20 to July 8, at the Polo del ‘900 cultural centre in Turin. For the opening event June 20 at 20:30, the women photographers will be present. Most of them are happy to be interviewed. Also present will be Alberto Mossino and Princess Okokon, directors of Piam Onlus shelter, where the women now live in Asti, Italy. The women speak English but Pidgin and Italian translators will also be available to help during the event. Leila Segal, the Voice of Freedom director, will also be available for interviews, at the opening event, or in advance in London until June 17, Turin until June 22.
Press resources: Attached is a small sample of the women’s work. Please contact us if you would like a fuller collection of the material, or images for publication.
Voice of Freedom is a UK-based organization that uses participatory photography to work with trafficked women, and has run projects with such women in Israel, Britain and Italy. Polo del ‘900 is a cultural institution that works with young people and new citizens to Italy. The exhibition is a collaboration between Voice of Freedom, Polo del ‘900 and the Museo Diffuso della Resistenza, Turin.
Press contact:
Leila Segal, director, Voice of Freedom. (+44) 7976 187581 leilasegal@me.com
The exhibition is sponsored by Canon and the VII Foundation for Photography.
It is a part of the Fo.To photography festival, Turin.
Photo: Efe Bella, courtesy of Voice of Freedom
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