lens culture
Refugee Odyssey to Europe (large edit)
Kristof Vadino

Refugee Odyssey to Europe (large edit)

Refugee Odyssey “Are we humans or animals”, a Pakistani refugee asks me in the centre of Athens. It is a question I heard a couple of times on the refugee route towards Europe. Since the summer of 2015 I follow the refugees on their Odyssey towards a safe heaven or better life opportunities in Europe. Through Greece, the Balkans and into France and Belgium. The Pakistani refugee with whom I spoke while he was waking up from under some dirty blankets on Onomaia square in Athens, is one of the 60.000 refugees currently stuck in Greece. Their lives are on hold. Because the nice promise of the relocation of 160.000 refugees from Greece and Italy to other EU member states, became a bad joke. Only 5000 were relocated up till now. Another example of Europe's worrisome handling of the refugee crisis. With the Arab spring, the Syrian conflict, and the deterring situation in the Middle East refugee camps by early 2015, an unseen refugee odyssey towards Europe unfolded. People try to get away from war, poverty or a lack of opportunities. The refugee odyssey is filled with panic, disorientation, anger and fear. Europe has the moral plight to organise this odyssey in a human way. But I Witnessed severe dog bites and beating wounds. The Hungarian police forces, backed up by Frontex, the European border force, don't spare their sticks when refugees try to cross the Serbian Hungarian border. This treatment is against all possible international laws and agreements, but who is protesting? Same story in Bulgaria. I saw Syrian families stranded in Greece and Serbia living in very bad conditions for almost a year. Some children never did go to school. Is this the road Europe wants to take? And should the US not do more of its fair share? Europe is also at stake. It is build on the values of the French Revolution – freedom, equality, fraternity – and it's Christianity heritage – helping the other –. But now some politicians exploit successfully the anger against “the other”. The bad other is used to shift attention away from growing social, financial end ecological problems. Many in Europe are afraid of the refugees. Because of the wrong mix of terror attacks and refugees, the low wage jobs being outsourced, the social security net being downplayed. So it has become even more necessary than before to document in a compelling and empathic way the refugees seeking shelter in Europe. I try to portray the other with this verse of Arthur Rimbaud: “Je est un autre”. I want to show the insecurity, the disorientation and deeper feelings of the refugees. To give them a human face. These series is been made made possible by the ngo Doctors of The World Belgium who is giving medical care on the refugee route and also by De Standaard newspaper, especially Jan Desloover. For this work I received the Belgian Press Photographers price in the category 'Stories', the 2nd prize in the Life Framer 'Humans of the World' Award, a finalist mention in the Alexandra Boulat Award, a show at Rencontres d'Arles' Festival Voies-Off and a Lensculture Emerging Photographer Award. I continue to document the refugee route.

Photos
29
Status
Public
Created
Dec 23, 2016
Updated
Feb 11, 2022
Categories

No categories selected

Tags
#Refugee #Refugees #Route #Europe #Greece #Balkans #Photojournalism

Photos (29)

November 2015, no man's land between Serbia and Hungary. Refugees walk disoriented in between Serbia and Hungary. There is a total lack of information on the Balkan route. Refugees are easy victims for smugglers. There are no facilities here despite the needs. Only some volunteers hand out rain coats and clothes.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_01__MG_6437_KristofVadino.jpg
September 2016, Belgrade, Serbia. In the centre of Belgrade, refugees gather in a parc which the Serbian authorities started reconstructing to avoid refugees sleeping there. Some just arrived from Bulgaria or Macedonia, ohers returned from the Hungarian border, tired of trying to ask for asylum, of the living conditions at the border camps or of trying to cross the border.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_02__DSF2654_KristofVadino.jpg
Cover
December 2015, Greek-Macedonian border near Idomeni. A refugee looks trough the Greek Macedonian border fence from the Macedonian side for her lost family, just as she has crossed the border in one of the chaotic last border crossings. Macedonia closed its border with Greece in december 2015 and again in march 2016, than definitively.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_03__MG_0211_KristofVadino.jpg
October 2016, a Syrian refugee from Aleppo waits for months to be relocated to another EU coutry in this old industrial warehouse near Thessaloniki.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_04_743A3553_KristofVadino.jpg
October 2015, Sentilj, Slovenia. Refugees are sunsure if they will be able to go into Austria. After the closing of the Hungarian borders, refugees go from Croatia to Slovenia. But not for long, as Slovenia will also close its borders. And Croatia will follow suit later on.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_05__MG_6386_KristofVadino.jpg
September 2015, Lebsos, Greece. On the beach of Skyminea arrives a small plastic boat packed with refugees from Turquie. Mostly there are 50 or 60 passengers in a boat which should carry no more than 20. The smugglers ask up till 1200 dollars per person. Many refugees die along the way.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_07__MG_4458_KristofVadino.jpg
September 2015, Lebsos, Greece. These refugees just arrived in a packed little boat full of refugees. The motor of their boat broke down, letting them turn over the wild sea for hours. They are exhausted and chilled.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_06__MG_2736_KristofVadino.jpg
September 2015, Lebsos, Greece. In the informal camp of Kara Tepe refugees reach out to listen if there name is spelled from a list. If so they can get a boat ticket for mainland Greece. The Greek state can not cope with all the refugees entering their country.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_08__MG_8424_KristofVadino.jpg
September 2015, Lebsos, Greece. On the beach of Skyminea arrives a small plastic boat packed with refugees from Turquie.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_09__MG_2373_KristofVadino.jpg
December 2016, Idomeni, Greece. A family of Jezidi's from Iraq waits for hours at the Greek Macedonian border. As Macedonia closed its border for all refugees except Syrians, Afghans and Iraqi's, they control every document toroughly.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_10__MG_7264_KristofVadino.jpg
October 2015, Zakany, hungary. The last refugees are crossing the Croatian Hungarian border. Just after this Hungary closed its border with a fence.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_11__MG_9913_KristofVadino.jpg
Oktober 2016, Athens. Refugees from Syria kill time by dancing in an old school building in the centre of Athens where the refugees organize themselves. Many have to wait months or even a year for their asylum claim to be processed.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_12_743A7743_KristofVadino.jpg
October 2015, Preshevo, Servië. On the Serbian side of the border with Macedonia thousands of refugees wait for whole days in the rain and cold to get registered by Serbian authorities.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_13__MG_9142_KristofVadino.jpg
October 2015, Preshevo, Servië. On the Serbian side of the border with Macedonia thousands of refugees wait for whole days in the rain and cold to get registered by Serbian authorities. Often chaos erupts leading to tensions with police forces.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_14__MG_8083_KristofVadino.jpg
October 2015, Preshevo, Servië. Refugees found shelter in an open concrete. On the Serbian side of the border with Macedonia thousands of refugees wait for whole days in the rain and cold to get registered by Serbian authorities.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_15__MG_8420_KristofVadino.jpg
October 2015, Preshevo, Servië. On the Serbian side of the border with Macedonia thousands of refugees wait for whole days in the rain and cold to get registered by Serbian authorities. Often chaos erupts leading to tensions with police forces.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_16__MG_9407_KristofVadino.jpg
October 2015, Zakany, hungary. The last train with refugees departs from the Croatian Hungarian border towards Austria. Just after this Hungary closed its border with a fence.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_17__MG_0576_KristofVadino.jpg
August 2016, Calais, France. Refugees try to cut the fences and slip trough towards the trains or boats going to the UK and play a cat and mouse game with the massive police presence . At the end of the summer of 2016 almost 10.000 refugees were living in the Jungle Camp in Calais, with tensions rising.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_19_743A2725_KristofVadino.jpg
August 2015, Calais, France. A refugee from Eritrea plays with a ball while he waits for a chance to go to the ferry's to the UK. Many refugees want to go to the UK because they have family there, speak English or hope for good job opportunities.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_20__MG_1898_KristofVadino.jpg
November 2016, Calais, France. During the final eviction of the Jungle Camp, the bad organizatiion by French authorities and the growing frustration of refugees leads to tensions. The Jungle Camp is been totally dismantled at the end of november, with most refugees being relocated in centres across France, but others hiding elsewhere waiting for their chance to go to the UK.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_21_743A7440_KristofVadino.jpg
August 2015, Calais, France. A refugee prays in a big tent made up as a catholic church in the Jungle Camp, Calais. Many refugees want to go to the UK because they have family there, speak English or hope for good job opportunities.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_22__MG_2381_KristofVadino.jpg
September 2016, Horgos, Serbia. Two Kurdish refugees from Syria are relaxing just outside a refugee camp at the Serbian Hungarian border, as here is not much to do in the very basic camp. They are waiting for months to get their asylum claim processed by Hungarian authorities, not knowing when it will be their turn.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_23_743A9389_KristofVadino.jpg
September 2016, Backi Breg, Serbia. Three Algerians walk on Serbian territory towards the Hungarian border through meadows, woods and thickets, up to a couple of meters from the border and from a border patrol which is having a party with a fire, music and beer, but a branch cracks a bit too loud under the foot of one refugee and suddenly four bright lights shine right in on the refugees.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_25_743A9803_KristofVadino.jpg
December 2015, Greek-Macedonian border near Idomeni. A refugee waits for hours to cross the Greek Macedonian borrder as the Macedonian border police looks toroughly at all documents because they just decided that only Syrians, Afghans and Iraqi can pass. Because Macedonia closed its border, thousands of refugees are stuck in dire conditions at the Greek side of the border.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_24__MG_0131_KristofVadino.jpg
January 2017, Belgrade, Serbia. Behind Central Train Station. Because the borders of Serbia with Hungary and Croatia are more and more sealed, refugees are piling up in Serbia, now more than 7500.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_Serbia_201701_01_743A9090_KristofVadino.jpg
January 2017, Belgrade, Serbia. Behind Central Train Station. Refugees line to receive food from volunteers. The Serbian government said that organizations should not give food and clothes to refugees.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_Serbia_201701_02_743A9976_KristofVadino.jpg
January 2017, Belgrade, Serbia. Behind Central Train Station Three minors live here with a 20 year old in an abandonned train wagon. As the official camps are full, many live in central Belgrade behind the train station in warehouses, shacks and abandonned train wagons.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_Serbia_201701_03_743A5556_KristofVadino.jpg
January 2017, Belgrade, Serbia. Behind Central Train Station. A minor sleeps with hundreds of other refugees in this warehouse. As the official camps are full, many live in central Belgrade behind the train station in warehouses, shacks and abandonned train wagons.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_Serbia_201701_04_743A8496_KristofVadino.jpg
January 2017, Belgrade, Serbia. Behind Central Train Station. Temperatures go till minus 20°C, leading to frost bites and respiratory problems. Doctors of the World warns for severe illness like amputations and lung infections.
File: RefugeeOdyssey_Serbia_201701_05_743A6303_KristofVadino.jpg