The number of people forced to migrate is on the rise, whether due to conflict, political oppression, or natural disaster. This can create an experience of trauma that is both collective and individual. Researchers from Lund University have been working on digital tools that allow local communities to better connect to forced migrants.
“What makes our research project different is that we are not focused solely on the refugees’ stories, we also involve the local community. There are many parts of Europe that have a long history of forced migration. That means that the refugees that have lived in an area for a long time have much in common with those arriving today. We wanted to focus on that exchange since we think that it can create greater mutual respect between groups,” the researchers say.
Telling stories
A set of tools, including a story map, a virtual exhibition, and an online documentary film, were tested in countries with a history of forced migration: Italy, Greece, Spain, and Poland. For instance, the Monte Sole Peace School in Marzabotto, Italy, created a story map displaying stories of those forced to flee within Italy during WWII alongside the experiences of recent refugees from Benin and Ghana.
Similarly, the Greek Refugee Forum in Athens created a virtual exhibition of films made by Iraqi refugees, in which they reflect on their situation in a refugee camp on the island of Trikeri, using archive material from a jail for female political prisoners in the 1950s. This material is also included in the exhibition.
“Organizations may choose to mix experiences in different ways, in order to reflect a theme, as in Greece, or the events in a geographical location, as in the case of Marzabotto. One can upload a great many stories, and use images, text, maps and video,” the researchers explain.
The tools were all designed in partnership with refugees whose stories can now be told across the various platforms. The hope is that it will be easier for refugees to tell their stories in a more personal way.
“As the work progressed, we noticed that life experience and age have a huge bearing on how people want to work with the tools. An older person looks to upload old photo albums, while a musician prefers to tell the story of his life through songs. A gamer would rather present their life as a computer game. For all groups, the mobile phone was the most important piece of technology when it comes to documenting their life,” the researchers conclude.
