“Migrationpapa”

On a Monday morning in November 2010, six photographers in five cities around the world take their cameras to urban neighbourhoods where newcomers arrive. The photos flow into the PAPA website like a wave moving around the world. First from Bangladesh, five hours later from Rotterdam and Lagos – cities in the same time zone. Detroit and São Paulo complete the group another seven hours later. From the first week the photos and captions were projected on the windows of the cultural centre at the entrance to the neighbourhood in Rotterdam. The same will happen in other cities. In this way the inhabitants of the various newcomers neighbourhoods not only get a fresh perspective on their own lives but they also get to see how newcomers in other cities live. Migrationpapa is a PAPA project for Kosmopolis Rotterdam with the generous support of Hivos

Detroit Lives!

Detroit -  A sticker with a Detroit Lives! logo lies on the sidewalk in Woodbridge, historic neighborhood in midtown Detroit. There’s a lot of meaning contained in this image. First, the location…
Marcin Szczepanski – Migrationpapa

Emerging from the earth

Dhaka -  The precision required in placing the fragile clay pots is difficult to gauge. Once each circle of pots is in position, the men tap the pots to hear for any…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Black middle class

Detroit -  Adris Nia, 60, grew up in Detroit. His parents moved here from the south of the US to take government positions in the first half of the 20th century. They…
Marcin Szczepanski – Migrationpapa

Mexicantown 1

Detroit -  Alex Martinez shows off one of his roosters in the living room of his Southwest Detroit house. Martinez grew up on a farm in Mexico and tries to hold on…
Marcin Szczepanski – Migrationpapa

Day off or not

Sao Paulo -  Day off, or not. There are millions unemployed people in Sao Paulo streets.…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Very cheap

Sao Paulo -  These Chinese came to Brazil a short time ago. They don’t speak English or Portuguese. They sell hats made in China. R$ 10,00 each. This is very cheap.…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Feijenoord

Rotterdam -  In the distance we see the Football stadion of Feijenoord on a sunday evening(afternoon). In the front we see the Tarwewijk’s main traffic vein: de Dordtse laan. You cannot imagine…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

The nightshop

Rotterdam -  The Dordtse Lane counts numerous small and bigger foodstores and restaurants. This shop is open all night. Unfortunately the owner was shot three weeks ago by a customer he chased…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

okra from Kenia and Surinam

Rotterdam -  Due to floods in Pakistan, the okra in the grocery store of the Sheikh family is now imported from Kenia and Surinam.…
Nies Medema – Migrationpapa

Mexicantown

Detroit -  A house in Mexican town, Southwest Detroit caught  fire. Fires are daily occurrences in the city because of poverty, old electric wiring, insurance motivated arsons or lack of caution…
Marcin Szczepanski – Migrationpapa

Back

Sao Paulo -  “Rua Mauá" used to be a street in “Cracolândia". It is close to “Estação da Luz” (train station and subway), and “Sala São Paulo” (one of the finest theaters -…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Mobile Work

Sao Paulo -  This woman came from Equador. She sells scarves in Liberdade, a neighborhood of Chinese and Japanese people. She doesn’t speak portuguese and didn’t understand my questions in english as well…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Remigration

Rotterdam -  Ten years ago Erwin moved to Rotterdam from Surinam with his mother and three brothers. He dreamed of studying Sound and light.From the age of eleven he organised these…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

Pattern 4 Tarwewijk

Rotterdam -  An attempt to get it all into one picture, the tensions between the state and the civilian and between the individual and the collective/community.…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

Empty houses turned into art

Detroit -  Empty houses have been turned into art installations. Heidelberg Project is the most well known example of urban art in Detroit inspired by socio-economic issues prevalent in the city. A…
Marcin Szczepanski – Migrationpapa

cityscape 1

Rotterdam -  While focusing on migration, entrepreneurship, violence, volunteer work, churches and welfare, I almost forgot to share the great views one has in this neighborhood. Rotterdam is a port, and as…
Nies Medema – Migrationpapa

Polski Sklep2

Rotterdam -  Every few other days the shopowner drives 850 from Rotterdam to Poland to buy the meat, vegetables and other Polish groceries. The shop closes at ten in the evening. When…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

a€œCatadoresa€

Sao Paulo -  Change always happens, the hard or soft way. Learn of that that’s what you need to think about.…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Bad news need to be told

Rotterdam -  The new policy of the authorities is not to report anymore about the bad things that happen in the Tarwewijk. Radiomaker and DJ Eric does not agree. Bad news and…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

Empty road

Detroit -  It’s 10 a.m. and Michigan Ave. is almost empty. Michigan Ave. is one of the main streets in Detroit. It was built to accommodate several lanes of traffic going…
Marcin Szczepanski – Migrationpapa

Resistance 2

Sao Paulo -  Building dominated by the MST, a homeless movement. The companies want to “revitalize", in other words, buy the old buildings to make modern buildings.…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Patterns 3 Tarwewijk

Rotterdam -  The state and the civilian both do put great effort in exploring ways to improve the conditions for living. Sometimes succesfull, many times not so much. To many rules and…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

Whatever

Sao Paulo -  If you come from China or Japan, whatever. “Liberdade” is a Migration-Brazilian neighborhood.…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Human Sign

Sao Paulo -  São Paulo has law that forbids private signs or advertisements boards to be permanently fixed. It is called called “Clean City Law". As a consequence the boards are placed and…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa