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Refugee Crisis: New book shows solidarity and hope on Lesvos

3 July 2018

A new book has launched showing an intimate portrayal of everyday life in a refugee camp on the island of Lesvos, but the camp that has offered support and hope to so many is under serious threat of closure.

In the aftermath of the so-called "refugee crisis" and the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement, refugees have been trapped on Lesvos Island.

The island is now home to a number of refugee camps, including Pikpa Camp. In contrast to the state or military-run camps, Pikpa has been referred to as a ‘paradise’. It offers shelter to the most vulnerable refugee adults and children. Run entirely by volunteers and relying on donations, Pikpa provides psycho-social support for those suffering trauma, including the effects of rape or torture, and also helps people with the complex process of seeking asylum.

Life in Pikpa Camp is the focus of a new book, Communities of Solidarity: The Story of Pikpa Refugee Camp, which shows an intimate and visual portrayal of the experiences of refugees in the camp.

The book was created by academics, activists and photographers, who came together as volunteers through Lesvos Solidarity. Photographs and poems include many by young people living at Pikpa, and give vivid and rare insights into the lives of refugees who find themselves in limbo on Lesvos.

Marie Gillespie, Professor of Sociology, had the idea to produce a book about Pikpa after a visit to the camp for her research on and with refugees, and The Open University supported her plan. She got together with renowned Norwegian photographer Knut Bry and their friends at Pikpa to make it happen.

She said: “Through an entirely serendipitous encounter with Knut, we visited Pikpa together one day and were so devastated by the experiences that refugees recounted to us there that we felt compelled to do something to bring attention to this dire situation. But we were also heartened by the spirit of solidarity at Pikpa that made a huge difference.

“At a time when local Greek people were experiencing the worst excesses of the economic crisis, they then had to deal with the migration policy crisis – and so many did with remarkable humanity, hospitality and intelligence. This book shows how they did so. It offers radically different representations of refugees to those in mainstream media (where they are frequently objectified and depicted without agency or as criminals breaching border controls). It also highlights the difference with the other two camps, the notorious Moria camp (which houses 7,000 refugees but only has capacity for 2,000) and Kara Tepe (which has about 2,000 refugees).

“In contrast, Pikpa is smaller but the authorities don’t like it because they don’t control it and they are always looking for excuses to close it down. It looks like they might succeed this time as it was announced the other day that Pikpa is to be shut down. This would be a tragic waste. Very little media reporting about this during a week when it seems that European policy took a step in reverse and the balance between protecting and preventing refugees coming to Europe tipped irreversibly towards prevention.”

The book Communities of Solidarity: The Story of Pikpa Refugee Camp was launched last month at an event at Tate Exchange, organised by The Open University and Counterpoint Arts as part of the Who Are We? project. It is available to buy here, and all proceeds goes to Pikpa Refugee Camp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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