Knowing You

Knowing You

Disclaimer & Copyright The views expressed in the Knowing You photo book and related editorial content reflect the author(s) opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher and editor. The published material, editorials and all other content is published in good faith. All rights are reserved and nothing can be partially or fully reprinted or reproduced without written consent.

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Knowing You

The Photojournalism Hub holds the vision of a world free of social injustice and human rights abuses.

It is an independent, community-based organisation that engages in the fight against social injustice and human rights violations through photojournalism and independent journalism.

It has established an ongoing programme of online and public-facing events, including talks, open calls and exhibitions raising awareness of these issues. It has also, crucially, established an ongoing community programme using photojournalism and visual narrative to help address social injustice and providing skills and opportunities to disadvantaged communities and individuals.

The ‘Knowing You’ project is part of the Photojournalism Hub’s mission to provide reporting skills and visual narrative tools to foster dialogue, bonding and improved individual and community lives.

To find out more and get involved: www.photojournalismhub.org Facebook: photojournalismhub Instagram: photojournalism_hub Twitter: @PJ_Hub

Cinzia D’Ambrosi is an award-winning photojournalist with over fifteen years of experience working in the UK and internationally contributing to a number of editorials such as Der Spiegel, BBC, New Internationalist, Warscapes and charities such as Save the Children, European Council on Refugees and Exile, Amnesty International, Big Local Trust and Hammersmith United Charities. Her projects include investigations on miners’ exploitation in illegal coal mines in China, the effect of hidden homelessness on women and children in the UK and police violence against refugees and asylum seekers.

Cinzia’s work focuses on structural violence and racial inequalities. She has initiated and co-run a two years project called Prejudice and us documenting the impact of racism and prejudice on youth lives in West London, from which she produced a film which it received ‘Best Campaign’ Award from Hammersmith United Charities(2016). She produced Once we came to a new Home, an audio and photography archive project to preserve, celebrate and promote the history of migration and settlement of the AfroCaribbean communities in White City.

Her ongoing five year long project Hate Hurts, documenting security and police violence against refugees in Europe, has been used in extensive campaigns by Amnesty International, shown in many exhibitions in Europe and featured on Czech National TV. Hate Hurts was selected for the European Month of Photography in Bulgaria (2018)and won an award from the Photographers Gallery in London (2017).

In 2018, Cinzia founded the Photojournalism Hub, a not for profit organisation that advocates for social justice and human rights through photojournalism, independent journalism and community projects. The Photojournalism Hub’s ‘Knowing You’ project is conceived and facilitated by Cinzia D’ambrosi.

To see Cinzia’s work: www.cinziadambrosi.com Instagram: cinziadambrosi Twitter: @cinziadambrosi Linkedin: cinziadambrosi

Knowing You Knowing You is a photography project involving women of different faiths and backgrounds living in White City to inspire bonding and community cohesion.

The Photojournalism Hub is pleased to have been awarded funding from the charity Near Neighbours for Knowing You. The project aims to dispel prejudice and break down barriers of ethnic, religious and racial discrimination. It works on the idea that encouraging yourself to get to know someone that you otherwise wouldn’t results in improved community cohesion and bonding. The project supports participants to bond with others, to improve self confidence and promotes respect and acceptance whilst offering teaching in visual narrative and photojournalism.

Participants of this first ‘Knowing You’ project are women, mostly from White City, who were offered twelve free sessions where they learned photography and storytelling by developing a photostory on a fellow participant. Being women added a meaningful layer to this project as it became a conduit for awakening, connecting and probing reflection on the common experiences of being a woman. By working on the representation of another woman’s story, participants noted that it brought up aspects of oneself to cherish, unravel and deal with.

The quality of the relationships formed within this project surpassed even the highest expectations, truly unparalleled.

This bond was further evidenced by the Knowing You participants continuing to meet virtually during lockdown which, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was announced part way through the project. This meant the participants worked more deeply together as they were forced to use methodologies of representation with a higher degree of participation and trust.

We are presenting a photobook which is a testimony to the power of human connections.

Knowing Us Joy “A” Danso: The “Knowing You” project was a great opportunity for me to explore and channel my creativity. The project allowed me to discover myself on a deeper level as well as building lifelong relations. I have enjoyed the challenges and gaining new skills. I hope you enjoy our photo stories! Peace and Love.

Eurydice Caldwell: Eurydice the wife and lover of Orpheus and means broad justice and generous judgement, a lot to live up to. Within me, three rich ancestral pathways and cultures meet and inform me, African American and Aboriginal Indian and British. The Knowing You project has reflected this unity and nourished new lines of creativity, collaboration and sisterhood. This journey continues to open my eyes to a greater beauty and wholeness, especially during this unique time in history.

Jagrati (aka Jag) Bhatia: I happily reside in White City and own a locally run business. I love being creative. The “Knowing You” project gave me the opportunity to learn photographic & journalistic techniques combined. The process helped me to make quality connections & gave me insight into the nature of my weaknesses and strengths.

Urmila Nagarkoti: I am Urmila from Nepal. I joined the ‘Knowing You’ project because I want to learn how to take creative photographs and become a photographer. The project is very useful and very interesting. I learned a lot of new things and I met a great group of women. It allows me to follow my dream.

Laura James: I joined the Knowing You project as I wanted to learn the skill of photography and get to know women from different backgrounds and upbringings. I wanted to step outside of my social bubble and meet women I may not normally cross paths with. I have learnt about photography, but more importantly I have learnt that being part of a community of diverse women can uplift you, inspire you and give you a fresh perspective.

Helena Neeson: I joined the ‘Knowing You’ project because I wanted to learn more about photojournalism and meet a group of enthusiastic, open minded women from diverse backgrounds. This project has taught me that deep connections can be made if you allow yourself to be open to the process.

Eurydice & Joy

Poem by Eurydice and Joy (222) The spiritual symbiosis Of our ancestors echos sweetly into the centers Of our souls.

Strict , but sensitive Sharp but soft

Spiking Suspicions Somberly.

Unlike the slinking Slyness

Spirit and soul reigns supreme

To society designs , That we have all been assigned

It is a sign from the divine, not to confine

Serpentine spine, Shines like sunshine

Shimmering in it's depth

Shamanic in it's shape shifting,

Shadowy, desaturation,

Shape shifting

Speaking from experience - I have masked my identity and my expression to conform with the “norm” of society. But what is the “norm” ? The norm is theoretical and does not exist. Theories of how we should dress , behave and love have been socially conditioned into our livelihoods.. Straying away from mediocrity can be overwhelming, so much so that finding your authentic self in this modern day can be a physical and mental war. So many people do not get to discover their true potential because they lack the knowledge of self.

The evolution of the world in my opinion is totally dependent on self discovery. Self discovery is not glamorous - rather it is a painful growing period. On the journey to finding self we must unlearn illusions about ourselves and others. To liberate our souls we must go on the adventure of thinking and living for ourselves.

In a society where we have been programmed to believe that different is ugly, and something to be afraid it can be difficult to express ourselves they was we want to. It can be hard to listen to your inner voice in a world that does not appreciate differences, as it is taken for weakness. Individuals in society must come to the self realisation and acceptance of our differences and celebrate them . When we find our true self the false mask we are bonded to peels away and we become free.

Are you free ?

Edit by Eurydice

Why Do I feel you masking?

We all wear a mask Even To ourselves sometimes , Take it off And be

free like the wind

And start knowing you I feel comfortable around you Reveal Expose myself???

Push out my boat...

Beyond my perimeters Into the unknown Naked

Poem by joy (222) and Eurydice

Jagrati (Jag) and Helena

Jag.

‘Jag’ is abbreviated from Jagrati, Sanskrit for ‘awakening’.

Later in life than she may have wanted, Jag welcomed her own awakening.

This is Jag’s story.

Jagrati Bhatia (Jag). This picture captures her reaction when I asked Jag about her daughter, Roisin.

One of the aims of the ‘Knowing You’ project was to highlight in today’s world, where our differences are frequently used to polarise us, how important it is to get to know each other.

In some ways, Jag and I are very different. She is 54, Black, a Londoner, a Mother but equally Jag is my friend with whom I have a lot in common.

(L) Example flight path Mombasa to London; (R)Jag (email): “I attach a photo of myself from when I was 3 as a newly arrived immigrant living at our first stop which was Slough.” (archival, courtesy of Jag)

Jag’s earliest memory is of herself aged three, crippled with stomach pains on a flight from Mombasa to the UK in 1968, at a time when Asian-Kenyans were being forced to give up their businesses and also choose between Kenyan and British citizenship. Jag, now an artist, experiences life in colour so it is unsurprising that she can remember the grey/blue colour of the seats of that airplane.

(L) What Jag calls her “Loc down’ hairstyle; (R) Sisters: Bhakati, Jag and Chhaya (archival, courtesy of Jag)

Identity for Jag has been a confusing and isolating constant in her life, both at home and further afield. She sums it up as feeling like ‘a square peg in a round hole’ and remembers ‘I was always considered to be too dark to be cute’. Later a familial revelation somewhat validated that sense of feeling different at home.

How can you feel like you belong when others assume your mixed race child isn’t yours?

How can you feel like you belong when you don’t fall into one of your government’s prescribed nationalities? There is no box for Indian-Kenyan-Londoners. Checking ‘Other’ all your life makes you feel exactly that – different, an outsider, like you don’t fit in.

(L) Reflecting on identity and some of the more challenging times. (R) ‘Not a single story,’ a painting by Jag about her multiple identities.

Jag exhibited this work at the 60th Annual Exhibition of the Law Society’s Arts Group and said “I wanted it to be empowering for all women, especially women from the immigrant community. People of colour are not often depicted in art let alone on display in the corridors of power’.

Known for saying “stop the world, I want to get off!” Jag uses art as a means of escapism. The home of Pearl Lee, a red-headed, pink-nailed art teacher for whom Jag did shopping and cleaning in return for art lessons, became a sanctuary from the responsibility of being a youth carer.

Later, pressure to ‘get a real job’ in the corporate world invited a different stress into Jag’s life in the way of work place discrimination and bullying. In spite of these experiences, and because of them, Jag is resilient, determined and a self-advocate. A recipe that serves her well as a business owner.

Family memories. (archival, courtesy of Jag)

Of all the labels life has assigned Jag, she wears her badge as a mother with the most pride. I was privileged to gain a brief insight into her family life; husband Gareth who makes great avocado on ryvita, daughter Roisin who is desperate for a puppy and could have relieved me of mine with her Taekwondo skills, and son Pearse who at 16 years of age isn’t too proud to give his Mum a kiss on the way out the door.

Covid-19 discussion over Zoom, 21 March 2020.

The Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to our ability to spend time together physically so instead, being together ‘virtually’ became the new norm. We still found a way to engage, as Jag always says, in ‘a respectful dialogue’ on our thoughts, concerns, hopes and fears arising from our enforced detention at home. Naturally feelings of uncertainty, loneliness, cabin fever and mistrust of the government’s agenda arose but positivity also shone through as Jag contemplated the relief of being able to stop for a while and think ‘What happens next?’.

And that is what I love about Jag. Like for a lot of people, life has at times been unkind to Jag and yet she is still smiling, she is still seeking new opportunities to develop herself, taking time to make art, dance and laugh, to practice spirituality and gratitude, to give back to her community, to nurture others and to make friends with a 32 year old Irish girl, like me.

Now Conscious.

©Alison Lappar Now Evolutionary.

Our last faceto-face meeting before “Lockdown.�

(White City Estate)

Raised in Harmony Hill, Lisburn, Belfast (a Catholic family living in a mixed enclave in a historically staunch Loyalist area) and then Donegal. Helena met her husband, Cathal, at Queen’s University in Belfast in 2009.

Helena’s earliest memory is from when she was 6 or 7 years old. At that time, she was living with her Mum, grandparents & 2 uncles.

“They gasped when I went down to breakfast as I had cut my fringe with a pair of red-handled scissors when Mum and Nana were out and Uncle was meant to be looking after me. I was wearing pink pyjamas.”

We shared our experiences of the Loss of Self which led to several defining moments in both of our lives. To retreat, to retrench and to re-emerge with Cathal by figuring out “what WE wanted.” “When you become what you want to be, you have to grieve the time that you were not able to be that person.”

Realising she wasn’t living congruently in a high-flying role, a sojourn somewhere completely different was much needed to counter the disquiet of her current existence.

She upped sticks and travelled the World with Cathal. “We were snorkelling with turtles in the Galapagos and I felt the peace and how undisturbed it was by my presence.” .

©Alison

Lappar

Beguiled by the turtle, Helena emerged changed and was drawn into beginning something new.

“When you let yourself be yourself, then you are suddenly like, “Who Am I?””.

As a selfconfessed “People Pleaser” (which she is working on), Helena worked hard and got a good job so put a lot of pressure on herself. “Not what I ever really wanted anyway, but worked stupid hours and was beyond anxious, beyond stressed”.

This resonated with me as I had the same feelings when I was Helena’s age at 32 over 2 decades ago!

“Now I have permission to be that person I want to be.”

Helena, honestly stated that I was the first person of African Descent that she had had any meaningful conversation or interaction with - not by design, but by circumstance.

I would definitely mourn our burgeoning friendship should we choose to discontinue contact after this project.

Helena has a 9 month old Cockapoo whom she adores and who photobombed a few of our meetings on Zoom!

Peculiarly, social distancing enabled deeper conversations between us Even before lockdown, Helena was really worried that the World was becoming non-functional because of human activity.

We decided to create a visual on “How I feel About Covid-19” and Helena showed me her “Mind Map” through the screen on our Zoom call. Her thoughts had ranged from feeling positive about people rallying together and being grateful for the NHS to being frustrated by those not taking it seriously and anxious for vulnerable family members and friends (“Not really for Me.”).

Helena was Nervous of the Unknown” and “Mistrustful of Government.” On top of that Cabin Fever - It’s Coming!”

Laura and Urmila

Urmila radiates hope. Always thinking of others, she shines light and beauty all around her.

Urmila has a lot of compassion for others and her heart is so open which is shown in her plan to be a social worker to help homeless people.

Growing up in Nepal Urmila and her family did not have a lot of money and struggled to meet their basic needs – she wants to ensure no one has to suffer in this way.

Urmila has been able to turn her challenges into a pure motivation to do good for others.

Strong

Altruistic

Motivated

Photographer

Independent

Kind

Looking to a brighter future.

Laura is very beautiful and a good person. She loves to help people. I took these photographs of Laura at the beginning of the project when we were still together.

The light reminds Laura of the beauty of nature, of sunsets and sunrises.

Laura loves the ocean, nature and the freedom of open spaces.

She loves to practice yoga.

Life in lockdown. Laura loves to be with her friends and family, so she finds not seeing them hard.

Homophily: The tendency for people to seek out or be attracted to those who are similar to themselves.

Respect.

Inclusivity.

Togetherness.

Acknowledgements & Thanks We are grateful that the ‘Knowing You’ project was made possible with the support of the following people and organisations: • Our sponsors; the charity Near Neighbours • Father Richard and Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, White City for housing us prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.

• Alison Lappar All artwork displayed by Alison Lapper MBE, does so by the courtesy of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Worldwide.

• The ‘Knowing You’ Women; for being open to and trusting the process of getting to know one another, sharing personal and intimate information about our lives, inspiring and supporting each other with an unwavering commitment to forming lasting relationships and producing this book.

• Last but certainly not least, Photojournalism Hub (www.photojournalismhub.org) and particularly, Cinzia D’Ambrosi for creating the project and providing her support, guidance and facilitation of the ‘Knowing You’ project.