On Sunday afternoon, I learned that a rescue ship would be bringing refugees with a small white cat to Lampedusa that evening. This could be a perfect photo. Women, children and a cat, exactly what we want to see as an ideal picture.
So I got ready and drove to the port. I saw the ship arrive. It was the Nadir, a sailing ship from Resqship.
There were 35 people on board, including 5 women, 7 children, 2 babies and a cat. I took my camera and wanted to capture everything. But I couldn't. The moment when the people left the boat caught me cold. Images of people who hadn't made it, of dead children and sunken boats immediately popped up in my mind. I was so incredibly happy that the rescue had gone well.
At that moment, I just wanted to welcome these survivors. It wasn't the moment to be a professional photographer. It wasn't a moment to take a photo that would counteract all this madness.
It was a moment to celebrate life - the lifes of these people - and also the life of this little white cat.
The Lampedusa Project
- Year
- 2024-2025
- Venues
- Lampedusa, Italy
- Blog