Folha and UNHCR open exhibition on refugee journalists in Brazil – 01/02/2021 – Worldwide

Venezuela, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Turkey and Syria are countries where working as a journalist often involves risking one’s life. It is for this reason that Carlos, Claudine, Kamil and Victorios, respectively, took refuge in Brazil.

Their stories guide the exhibition promoted by Folha in partnership with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), which opens at the Immigration Museum, São Paulo, this Wednesday (3), at 11 a.m.

As part of the celebration of the newspaper’s centenary and UNHCR’s 70th anniversary, the exhibition “Who’s telling this story: refugee journalists or refugee journalists?” comes from a series of reports published by Folha last October. The series was coordinated by Flávia Mantovani, journalist from Mundo and author of the blog Babel Paulistana.

In these four cases presented, the violence that hits journalists goes well beyond crimes on social networks. Prison, torture, assaults and physical threats became real dangers from which they had to flee.

“These are stories that show where we in Brazil don’t want to go. They reveal how serious the authoritarianism of a government that wants to control or silence the press can be, ”says Mantovani.

“Some people interviewed in the series expressed concern that Brazil is the start of a process that they have seen unfold in their country. This should trigger an alert so that we can protect our means of communication, which are pillars of democracy, ”said the journalist.

The show gathers relevant data on refugees, but is not limited to cold statistics. Through moving reports and images taken by Bruno Santos, photographer Folha, the exhibition reveals the dramas of forced migration.

“These are professionals who left their lives in their country of origin. It is important to know firsthand how this displacement of which they were victims, how they were welcomed in Brazil and how they are adapting here ”, explains Alessandra Almeida, executive director of the Immigration Museum.

This adaptation Alessandra talks about does not always happen as it should, according to UNHCR. According to Miguel Pachioni, the agency’s communications advisor, few in fact integrate in the new country within their profession.

“The refugees are people who have had to leave their homes, but who have not left behind all the knowledge they have,” he says, who signs the curatorship with Lia Gomes and Vanessa Poitena – the latter also responsible. of the expography.

The visitor who arrives at the exhibition finds the largest exhibition hall in the museum taken up by panels with photos, text and graphics. The voices of four characters come from the speakers in space, who tell their stories to those present.

Four objects, which symbolize the journey of each of the refugees, appear in the photos and in a video produced by journalist Jasmin Endo Tran, projected on a wall at the site.

In an interview with journalist Patrícia Campos Mello, Turkish journalist Kamil spoke about his backpack. Filled with all the equipment necessary for journalistic work, it is now unusable. Zaman, the vehicle he worked for, was considered a terrorist organization by the government of President Recep Erdogan. Kamil entered a persecution list and has not returned to the country since.

In the exhibition at the Immigration Museum, all interactive features have been disabled as a preventive measure against Covid-19.

The employee-guided flow, along which there are hand hygiene stations, must be respected. Visitors are requested to respect a distance of 2 m between one person and another. Capacity is limited to 40 visitors every 30 minutes.

Who is telling this story: refugee journalists or refugee journalists?
Immigration Museum – R. Visconde de Parnaíba, 1.316, Mooca, Eastern Region, tel. 2692-1866. From 3/2 to 30/5. Wed to Sun: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat (6) and gift. (7): closed. R $ 10 (whole) and R $ 5 (half). Saturday: free. Ingr: at the counter (open until 4 p.m.) or on the site bit.ly/MIIngressosOnline. Capacity: 40 visitors every 30 min. Classification: 16 years old. More information on museudaimigracao.org.br

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