Monday

NIGER AND CHAD

The territory where Boko Haram breeds and tortures innocent civilians, and forces young men to the war front.


A growing crises along the Nigeria-Niger-Cameroon-Chad border axis.

Over 50,000 fleeing, majority by land and the others by air.

Shagaiyah is a young man from Niger I met in an area in Ghana(West Africa) filled with ''refugees'' from Niger and Chad. A computer science university student and a brother to many siblings. A fluent french speaker, but inarticulate english speaker.

He and his family fled Niger because of the drought and conflict, but not permanently. He will return to Niger to further his studies once he makes enough money. With no identity to the state, he makes a living from begging on the streets of Accra, filled with tourists with his family. 

As one of the older boys in his family, he and his younger siblings as young as 5 go on the streets, chase taxis and cling unto the arms of Ghanaians. The female parents and grandparents sit in the sun and collect the money they make from begging. The males sit behind a rock and pray all day.

Not all Ghanaians are in favour of their migration. Some Ghanaians are convinced that these ''refugees'' believe that because they are not black (in regards to their skin colour as well) but Arab , the migrants believe Ghanaians should work for them; hence why they do not go out and look for jobs.

As if employment is not an issue in Ghana, how is one supposed to get a job with no form of Identification, a valid working permit.


I asked Shagaiyah how he got to Ghana; He travelled by land on a truck, paying over 15000 cfa. He wouldn't show me his identification car because he assumed I was a journalist.

I asked him if he would like a job in Ghana and his response was : Yes, if the government gives me one I will take it






Niger and Chad citizens have been migrating to Ghana for so long that some of them are able to speak twi; the local dialect. Speaking to Shagaiyah was a little bit hard since I spoke little french, but after speaking to his cousin who spoke very fluent twi, even better than myself, I felt like handing all of them a Ghanaian passport. Shagaiyah's Aunt who also made the journey, happened to go blind on their way to Ghana. After fleeing a country in turmoil, its sad that you don't get to see the Goldcoast, the land of freedom. But she feels the peace in Ghana. She hopes it continues to remain peaceful. Their stories are incredible and uplifting and after meeting and talking to over 10 of family I will be making work from the images I will take.

I want to take passport pictures of all of them, and attempt to make travel documents for them. I won't put any of the images on social media, as I promised them.

MOBILITY WITH AND WITHOUT A PASSPORT




   

                                         




                                         

A 2 4 1 P A S S P O R T






I keep finding really strange things about passports. This is a very old passport, over 30years old. This passport has 2 holders. It belongs to a man and his wife.

This makes me question why a woman could not have a passport of her own. Were single women not allowed to have passports and most importantly, travel.  If she did, did she have to go through a different application system. It makes it seem as though a woman is a mans hand bag and is carried around by her husband.

Or was this a particular kind of passport a man could attain if he was married


In this passport, the owner is restricted to certain areas of the continent. 

On the left hand side ( Description - Signalment )
I find it interesting how certain details of the owner are printed on this page: For example, ''Colour of eyes''- A feature that can easily be altered.



POWERFUL PASSPORTS- THE EVOLUTION OF PASSPORTS



We have moved quite rapidly from a time where my father used to tell me stories about illegally forging a passport and having someone apply for a passport with a new visa back home, whilst he was abroad because he could not get a renewal since he overstayed his visa to a time where microchips are placed in our passports. Microchips that hold every byte of data and information governments know about us.



             MICROCHIPS - The MARK of the BEAST

SUSAN SONTAG

 ''To the militant identity is everything ''

A striking quote that speaks the truth of several African wars. The Biafran, Rwandan genocide, just to name a few.


A scene in the movie ''Half of a Yellow Sun'' shows military asking civilians for passports to prove their identity, and shooting them if they are igbo.







TO THE MILITANT IDENTITY IS EVERYTHING - PASSPORTS



 TO THE MILITANT IDENTITY IS EVERYTHING - EVERYTHING

Daddy's Current Passport (Ghana)
Daddy's Very Own Old Ghanaian Passport 
Any Identification for travel
My British Passport
My passport with indefinite leave to remain visa


I really want to take a look at passports and analyse them.
A form of identification people would do a lot of things for. 
The most wanted passport.














Saturday

THE SUBJECT OF IMMIGRATION AND IDENTITY

On the subject of identity and migration , I have been thinking of the idea of having every detail about an individual, yet no facial identity to match it; gathering  the subject of discrimination and possibly race as well religion.My thoughts also address the stigmatisation of how people from certain countries look like.

The idea that if someone does not have a passport, they don't have an identity. I question the real purpose of visas as well as their structure. Particularly with certain African countries, where I believe they are a capitalist means of exploiting their citizens with the ''Yankee'' dream.


 ''Its not just security, its defence '' 

The phrase ''Erasing Borders'' is one that keeps ringing in my ears 

I have decided to scrutinise all the passports and any form of identification for travel at home. Compare all of them and possibly make paintings from them.