Emerging photographers 2017
LuganoPhotoDays
Artur Gutowski
Not There, Not Here
Rohingya is a muslim minority which is coming originally from Myanmar. Because of the ethnic cleansing which takes place almost 30 years in Myanmar they are forced to escape to the Bangladesh and other asian countries. Nowadays there are about 300.000 Rohingya refugees living in the camps surrounded near Myanmar-Bengali border.
I visited two camps - Kutupalong and Nayapara - during my two trips to Asia. With my medium format camera I was trying to show struggling life of these people. Most of them lives without electricity and small amound of food. But still they have pride and tremendous faith. There are few mosques in camps were Rohingyas are coming and commit themselves to God. Those people are very religious and family. I saw a small girl that digged a hole in a ground. I asked: what are you doing? She said: I'm making house for my family. Children worry about parents because they works too hard. Parents worry about children because of the unknown future. Even because they have nothing they not forget that they are human beings. I was also in elementary school where all the children were sitting silent and listen to their english teacher. They know that education can pull out of it. But because many of them are not registered as a refugees they cannot take help(such as medicine) from UNHCR. Mortality is high, even caused by a mild illness. Some of them are infected by HIV.