The most rewarding part of my trip to Catania were the interactions with the Roma children. I visited three different camps although there is probably more. I showed you the garbage dump camp in my last post. There we were asked not to photograph the people. The second camp was the biggest. Situated on the outskirts of the city, its location allowed the people to walk to town. I have been their a few times and not all of the children I photographed were present each time. They too went to “work”, probably mostly begging.
It took some time to befriend the children. I think that their way of life – constantly on the move – makes it difficult to get closer to people. The prejudices of others are always present in their lives. They feel safe only in the familiar circles of their own language and culture.
But once they allowed themselves to be liked, they were a vivacious and happy bunch, if short on attention span 🙂 I think they were not used to getting much attention from adults and they bored with more involved games. They liked coloring books and active, outdoor games.
Some of the children’s names I still remember. They have a way of sticking to one’s heart like a glue that is impossible to remove. And that, in my opinion, is a good thing 🙂
It is a great series of pictures. You managed to capture the charm and vulnerability of these children. So it took you quite some time to befriend them, but it certainly was worthwhile. And I gather not only because of the photos.
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No. They are precious, as all kids are. I think of them sometimes wondering how and where they are.
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Their faces are really beautiful. Big eyes, dark hair. But there is not much joy in their look.
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No. I found that sad too 😦
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Great photos! But there is a hint of worry in their smiles, especially the older one 😦
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More than a hint I would say. Their lives were unpredictable, unstable, and rather hopeless. They lived from day to day, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. The older ones were disillusioned early about the reality of their lives and prospects for the future.
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