Carolina Global Photo Competition: Waiting for Documents
2016 Carolina Global Photo Competition
Second Place | “Waiting for Documents” | San Giovanni, Italy | Photo by Gabriela Arp '16 (M.A.)
Three refugees who escaped a brutal civil war in Libya pose for a portrait at their temporary home in San Giovanni, Italy. The men, who asked that their identities be obscured, made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean with hopes of a better life. At the time of this photo, they were waiting to hear about the status of their asylum. “If you don’t have documents, there is nothing you can do. Nothing,” said one of them.
This photograph was taken as part of the 2015 Vimy awarded project, “Divided by the Sea.” The Vimy Grant offers funding for interdisciplinary research or service projects outside the United States. While bringing additional attention to the migration crisis, the group sought to tell the individual stories that are often overlooked in humanitarian crises. The UNC team consisted of Gabriela Arp, master’s student in the School of Media and Journalism, Andrea Patiño Contreras, master’s student in the School of Media and Journalism, and William Moose, master’s student in the Department of City and Regional Planning.