If war could speak, what would it say? That was the question that Prabhu Silvam and Kenneth Lee set ought to answer when they trekked up to the mountainous town of Cisarua, Indonesia. Here, they lived within a refugee community documenting the hidden lives of refugee children caught in the crossfire of ISIS, the Taliban and government bureaucracy. Silenced by war, hear them speak for the first time.
The town has always served as a transit point for refugees hoping to get to Australia by sea. But since 2013, the Australian government has been turning away refugee boats. Over 14,100 refugees and asylum seekers have nowhere to go, and no way to go back home. Hence, stuck in perpetual limbo.
There are now 65 million refugees in the world, making this the greatest humanitarian crisis since World War II. The victims of any conflict, especially the most vulnerable ones are children who make up 60% of refugees worldwide.
Some of the children in this documentary have been orphaned because of war, conflict and persecution while others have witnessed atrocities that no child should ever have to. Yet, these are stories of hope, loss and love in a time of conflict and uncertainty. Each smile tells a story, each glance a portrait. This is a photo documentary of war through a child’s eyes.
View the photo-documentary here: www.refugeesofcisarua.com
Dialogue session
Join Prabhu – a proud Campus alum! – and his friend Kenneth at a dialogue session about the documentary on the 27th of August (Sun) at Artistry Cafe. Check here to join the conversation.
