“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

Financial opportunities

Lagos -  Mr Lawal from Katsina on his commercial motor bikes also known as Okada awaiting passenger in Onike, another migrant community in Lagos. He left his family after hearing many stories…
Andrew Esiebo – Migrationpapa

Survival is the game

Lagos -  A young migrant from Kano, nothern Nigeria relaxing at Obalende after a long and hard day pushing people goods with wheel barrow for money. Barely able to speak the Nigeria…
Andrew Esiebo – 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

Girl who wants to be a model

Dhaka -  This little girl insisted on being photographed and took on poses commonly associated with pin up girls. “She’s always poses in front of mobile cameras” says her dad.…
Shahidul Alam – 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

“Catadores”

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

Barbershop

Rotterdam -  As soon as the evening falls around five the traffic lights, streetlamps and shopwindows add colour to the grey public space. People come home from work and school and go…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

Woman at local restaurant

Dhaka -  TThe shop used to be in nearby Dhanmondi, a more upmarket location. They didn’t need to pay rent for the roadside stall, but had to bribe the police 100 Taka…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Rickshaws in Garage

Dhaka -  Rickshaw owners keep their own rickshaws in the garage for safety. They also let out the place for others who do not have enough rickshaws/rickshaw vans, to justify a garage…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Whatever

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

Under Construction

Sao Paulo -  Downtown Sao Paulo is through changes. It seems never ending. The project of revitalizing the city is audacious. But first, it is necessary to decide what to do with the…
Ines Correa – 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

Lokman with cobra

Dhaka -  The ‘services’ required by the community include entertainment and medical support. The snake charmer provides both. While people like to watch the dance of the snakes, the charmer, Lokman also…
Shahidul Alam – 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

Trying to control

Rotterdam -  many efforts have been made to get the situation under control in the Tarwewijk. In this street the government has put up signs saying: NO DOPE SMOKING  due to…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

Day off

Sao Paulo -  If it’s your day off, it’s time to go shopping or if you prefer you can go to a museum or a gallery. You can also just walk the dog…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa

Kapsalon Adem

Rotterdam -  This kapsalon, the Dutch word for barbershop in the Dordtselaan is called Adem, which means breath in Dutch. In Arabic it is the mens name. The barbershop is filled with…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa

Girl in kitchen

Dhaka -  Children need to become productive at a very early age and take on many adult roles. Every member of the family, beyond a certain age has to work to keep…
Shahidul Alam – 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

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

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

Return to the Tarwewijk

Rotterdam -  Cycling through the Tarwewijk in the dark I start to recognize people and they start to recognize me. Margot, a slim lady asking for money, being homeless. In fact she…
Lino Hellings – Migrationpapa