Reflections of Migration

Image of Documentary Filmmaker Ez El Deng, Melbourne Australia / Sid Naidu (2016) ©

/rəˈflekSH(ə)n/ noun

A thought occurring in consideration or meditation

I left the land that I was born to with no rights so I can find a future in a land that was foreign but free. We got our freedom but we were still not free from judgement.

These aspects of migration and finding a home are interwoven into my work as a creator.

I find meaning by looking for paths of similarities and connectedness. I’m drawn to capture what’s unpolished, unrefined and rough around the edges because it speaks a realness that reminds me of my own journey.

When I planned to live in Australia, I bought a one-way ticket to self-discovery. Some travel to take a vacation others travel to pursue meaning and connection. I was miles away looking for a home. I met Ez El Deng an emerging filmmaker from South Sudan who came up in a foreign concrete jungle much like myself.

The first time I walked through his family home in the Atherton Gardens Housing Estate was at 2:00 am on a Christmas morning. I flashed back to the home that I had left, maybe first at homesickness but mostly because it imparted an identical image to the spaces and neighbourhoods I was familiar with. Since then I’ve been in search of a common connectedness in the paths we take and the places we call home.

EZ & Bangs shared a journey of leaving one country after the next to find a home in Australia. Finding a home in a foreign land comes with its obstacles and societal challenges, but through reflecting and facing these challenges we find purpose and meaning.

I took these images as a reminder that while the faces and languages may change, the many structures in our society still remain the same.