Ask, Seek & Knock

The Greenmarket Square refugee sit-in, an umbrella under which lie many underexposed human rights stories, began in Cape Town in 2019. Almost 18 months later, it remains unresolved.

COVID - 19 has brought the world to its knees, negatively affecting mental health worldwide.
 Could you imagine your experience of this pandemic compounded with further trauma? What if you had been witness to xenophobic attacks and clashes with police? What if your entire family slept on the street in makeshift homes through all four seasons? And what if you had no access to ablution facilities or running water? How would 2020 be remembered in your adult mind? Well hundreds of children, newborn to teenagers, have lived this reality for almost a year and a half.

Known as the Greenmarket Square Refugee Sit-in, over 600 protestors took refuge in the Central Methodist church and on the streets surrounding Greenmarket Square, Cape Town, South Africa in October 2019. An increase in xenophobic attacks led foreign nationals, the majority originating from DRC, Kenya, Somalia and Burundi to seek assistance from the South African government to relocate to a country of safety.

On the 1st March 2020, a Western Cape High Court ruling was actioned enabling municipal by-laws to be enforced. Those occupying the sidewalks for almost 5 months were surrounded by over 100 law enforcement officers and riot police. Hundreds of men, women and children were ordered to vacate the area immediately as cranes and clean up services dismantled their makeshift homes. With nowhere to return to, they remained in the city centre facing clashes with police. Ironically they settled outside the Cape Town Central Police Station where they remained even after South Africa went into a full COVID-19 lockdown on the 27th March 2020. As a temporary solution, the refugees and asylum seekers were eventually moved to the Northern Suburbs and provided with shelter in marquee tents. At the time it was thought to be for no longer than a couple of weeks. To date, almost 11 months later, this is where they remain, the crisis yet to be resolved.

Covering the protest was my initial objective, however; I found myself continuously drawn to the children. The majority were born in South Africa yet until recently, prevented from applying for and obtaining citizenship due to the foreign nationality of their parents. The refugee sit-in is an umbrella under which lie many underexposed human rights stories hence motivating me to continue shooting beyond the outcome of the protest and follow the journey of a few of the minors I met and photographed in “Ask, Seek & Knock”. In documenting this long term project, I hope to raise awareness around the topic of mental health, exposing the psychological and social damages caused to these asylum seekers, focusing specifically on the children and the impact of trauma on childhood behaviour and development.

“How will their experiences shape the adults they are to become?”