KHEMISA MARY

Digital Illustration, South Sudan

Collaboration with photographer Giles Duley for VENT

Giles Duley has spent the last two decades documenting the lives of those affected by conflict and other humanitarian crises. More storyteller than photographer, his work is about collaborating with those he meets to make sure it’s their voices that are heard. His aim is to simply be their conduit. VENT is where those voices are amplified. As Giles Duley says, “there is no point in telling a story if nobody hears.”

South Sudan has been marred by violence and instability since its creation in 2011. War there has led to the displacement of nearly four million people, two million of whom have sought safety as refugees in neighbouring countries. About 80 percent of the displaced are women and children, who are particularly vulnerable. This huge displacement has led to a fracturing of communities and families. Young mothers in particular often find themselves isolated and alone in the new surroundings of a refugee camp. This is why Sarah and seven other South Sudanese refugees decided to do something about it. Despite having no training, they decided to set up a hair salon in Bidi Bidi refugee camp. For the women who run the salon it is so much more than a business. They wanted to build their own community for single mothers. And each hairstyle they create is about more than fashion; it’s a statement. With each style having its own meaning. “In South Sudan I had a big extended family,” says Mary Sande, “I knew everyone in the village, but when I arrived here, I was alone. My husband left, I had two children. I thought about things too much. Then I found this group, the salon. They are my family.”