“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

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

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

Roads2

Detroit -  Two men who migrated to the city from Kentucky in 1950s work on an old truck that belongs to the one on the right. They stayed behind when most of…
Marcin Szczepanski – Migrationpapa

money transfer shop

Rotterdam -  This is one of many money transfer shops in Tarwewijk. Since many Tarwewijkers want to send money home to their family, this is the perfect neighborhood to start a business…
Nies Medema – Migrationpapa

Beamed exhibition

Rotterdam -  Our work was shown on location for six weeks from the end of November 2010 till half January 2011. Sandra Smets, art critic in NRC newspaper Cultural Supplement…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

Separatism

Rotterdam -  In the back you see Arthur the paperman. Here the builders gather. When there are around ten the minibus leaves. What is the job you are going to do I…
Lino Hellings – 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

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

Words and public space 2

Rotterdam -  This may be the weirdest sign I have ever seen in our Rotterdam ‘Attempts to regulate with written words-collection’ so far. It is put on a window of an empty…
Nies Medema – Migrationpapa

Pimp your car

Rotterdam -  Many people in Tarwewijk who used to work in the harbour and factories are jobless today. The new job market is in hairdo (African, Asian, Western), international telephone booths, small…
Nies Medema – Migrationpapa

The Streetfactory

Rotterdam -  New wood has arrived. The Streetfactory works with used wood. This is scaffolding wood. They do use pallet wood as well. The furniture they make does look good and is…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

The original

Sao Paulo -  When we go through Liberdade, we don’t know who is chinese or japanese. They are brazilian now. It’s so mixed! And so different from “the original\".…
Ines Correa – 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

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

Almost captain

Rotterdam -  Young skippers are trained in Maashaven. Lars de la Rie (one more week of school to go before he will be inland skipper) told me he was born only 5…
Nies Medema – Migrationpapa

Different Religions

Sao Paulo -  This is a church that korean made in “Bom Retiro” - Korean Peace Presbyterian Church. This neighborhood is always in change. First came the italians (1920), second the jews (after…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Korean News

Sao Paulo -  The most interesting thing about this neighborhood in Sao Paulo is that we find koreans, jews, bolivian and brazilian from Sao Paulo or from other parts of Brazil, all of…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Beans from far away

Sao Paulo -  When someone goes to a place, he carries with him things he likes. When he arrives, there are things there that he learns. This paper is written in Japanese or…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Patterns 2 Tarwewijk

Rotterdam -  Tensions are not necessarily bad. In fact they are good not bad I think. How to balance between the positive and the negative apsects of the rapid change in amounts…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

Together 2

Rotterdam -  Two balconies in pensioners home ‘ Harmonie’ (Harmony). One with a Dutch flag, the other with a satellite dish, allowing her to watch TV shows from all over the world…
Nies Medema – Migrationpapa

protest

Sao Paulo -  Detail from the front door of the block of flats where the MST – Movimento dos Sem Teto/ Homeless Movement Downtown São Paulo is hosted. Homeless people struggling to obtain…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Kapsalon Halal Specialist

Rotterdam -  The text on the window puzzled me. Kapsalon (Barbershop) Halal specialist? How on earth can yo combine a kapsalon/barbershop with a snackbar for shoarma, pizzas and other specialities? I knew…
Lino Hellings – 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

When we wake up

Sao Paulo -  These houses are protected until now. Sometimes when we wake up, they are not there anymore. They have beem removed, demolished.…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa