ASK, SEE & KNOCK SERIES
by Nicole Vittoria de Jager
Known as the Greenmarket Square refugee sit-in, over 600 protestors, the majority originating from DRC, Kenya, Somalia and Burundi took refuge in the Central Methodist church as well as on the streets surrounding Greenmarket Square in Cape Town, South Africa during October 2019. Their intention was to escape xenophobic attacks and seek assistance in relocating to a country of safety. On the 1st March 2020, the City of Cape Town actioned a Western Cape High Court ruling enabling municipal by-laws to be enforced. Those occupying the sidewalks for almost 5 months were surrounded by over 100 law enforcement officers including riot police. Makeshift homes were dismantled using cranes and clean up services and so began the process of evicting hundreds of men, women and children.
The series was shot over a month long period from 30th January until the refugees were forced to vacate Greenmarket Square on 1st March 2020. It documents their daily lives, focusing predominantly on the children, most of whom were born in South Africa yet until recently have been unable to apply for citizenship (1) due to the foreign nationality of their parents.
UPDATE
Following their eviction on 1st March 2020, refugees & asylum seekers who had nowhere to go remained in the CBD, relocating outside the Cape Town Central police station. They remained on the street & slept on the sidewalk even after South Africa went into a full COVID-19 lockdown on Mar 27th 2020. Temporary shelter was eventually provided in tented marquees with clearly no thought given to social distancing. On 2nd April 2020, the second group of refugees, who took refuge inside the Methodist Church for the duration of the sit-in, was also evicted. They were relocated to a different shelter.
To date, July 2020, the crisis remains unresolved with no foreseeable plan in place when the SA COVID-19 lockdown is fully lifted. Added to months of uncertainty regarding their future they are now also faced with the harrowing reality & effects of a global pandemic. The latter is applicable to us all; however, for a large majority, we at least have some stability in the fact that we are citizens in our respective countries. A place which we can call home.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Shout Out
1. This series documents the Greenmarket Square refugee sit -in. Hundreds of men, women and children lived in the Central Methodist Church and on the sidewalk for almost 5 months.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Raw Reality
2. Maria (3 years old) is one of the children who has lived with her family on the sidewalk for months during this protest. This is her reality when needing the toilet. According to the protestors, the City Of Cape Town instructed municipal workers not to allow any refugees and asylum seekers use of the nearby public toilet in Greenmarket Square whilst open and operating during working hours. At night the toilet is locked. They are also refused entry by any nearby stores with ablution facilities. This is the result and therefore, using a packet, the only practical solution.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Barbie Blessed
3. “Gift of the Givers” arrived with water and food. Blessing (7 years old) immediately unpeeled her banana and began feeding her “baby”. We are forced to ask ourselves, is this the epitome of a mother’s unconditional love? The natural maternal instinct which many females are born with? Or is this image more haunting in the fact that this role play portrays how seriously Blessing has been affected psychologically by the living conditions, food shortage and her obvious hunger?
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - My Maria
4. Maria (3 years old) holds her brother Anelka (5 months old). How could one expect her to understand the animosity and xenophobia directed towards her family and the refugees as a whole? For years foreign nationals have been blamed for the social and economic issues in the country. It is time for the South African government to take responsibility and protect those who have been used as the scapegoat for a poorly run cabinet whose decision making has been questionable at the best of times.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Tight
5. The sidewalk has not only been their home, it has also been their playground. Some close bonds have been formed and although their parents may originate from different African countries, these children all have one thing in common, they were born in South Africa yet are not considered SA citizens.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Two by Two
6. Rosie (24 years old) is close to giving birth to her second child. She stands, watching her firstborn Amir, already knowing the struggle she will face at Home Affairs regarding applying for any legal documentation after delivering her newborn baby. Amir (1 year 6 months), who was born in South Africa, still has no papers.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Night In Greenmarket
7. A passing vehicle momentarily sheds some light. Besides living for months without any water or ablution facilities, the refugees living on the sidewalk, have also lived with no electricity.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Food For The Soul
8. As I approach sisters, Maria (3 years old) and Dayana (5 years old) they instinctively begin to dance. They are hearing music still playing through my headphones which are wrapped around my neck. A moment of soul food for all three of us.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Pavement Preparations
9. Today it is Loide’s turn to cook for her family. The pebbled sidewalk is her kitchen. These are the conditions in which all the refugees living outside the church prepare meals.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Social Togetherness
10.. A large majority of the children are under the age of 5/6. They have experienced things that many adults of our time might never. These early years, often referred to as preschool years, mark an incredibly crucial time in a child’s life when physical, emotional and social development takes place. One wonders how this will all manifest later on and to what extent the psychological damage will be. The age bracket however does not end there. There are many who fall into the pre-teen and teen years too. These children have witnessed xenophobic attacks, clashes with police, lived on the street, had no ablution facilities, electricity or water for months. For a moment, close your eyes and live their reality. How could this not have serious negative consequences not only now but later on in life too?
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Silent Witness
11. Jorgette (16 years old) is far older and wiser than her years. She doesn’t say much but she sees everything.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Gauge Your Gratitude
12. The makeshift structures constructed from numerous materials ranging from cardboard, plastic, ground sheeting, blankets, tent frames, rope etc. line the perimeter of the Cape Town Central Methodist Church. Regardless of scorching heat, rain or cold this is known as home to hundreds of men, women and children since October 2019. For them, living in these conditions with no water or ablution facilities far outweighs the violence, ridicule, animosity and fear they are subjected to when living in and amongst native South Africans in the townships /locations. Many locals may be very quick to judge what they consider an eyesore and the reasons behind it; however, role reverse and ask yourself what you would do to keep you and your family safe if you were not welcome in a country you have lived in for years and where your children were born?
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - I Am Only 3
13. Maria (3 years old) is too young to understand the Greenmarket Square Refugee Sit - in or why she is not considered a citizen if she was born in South Africa.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Another Day In Limbo
14. No matter where in the world one is born, being a teenager comes with its own set of challenges. Couple this with the daily animosity these refugee children face from local kids, being treated as outsiders as well as living on the street for months, one can only respect these youngsters. They possess a strength and courage that is admirable and inspiring. Adilia (14 years old), like all these children, should be having fun, spending time with friends and going to school. However, her reality and those of these other young people is everything but that.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Lookout for Loide
15. Loide (18 years old) is the first of Mamma 7’s children whom I met when I went to Greenmarket Square on the 30th January 2020. I asked if I could photograph her and get her details. She asked if she could rather write her story for me. I gave her a section from my notebook and a pen. Loide sat on the pavement writing for well over an hour. I believe this young woman is a born leader whom will use her personal life experiences to help guide and heal others who have been subjected to trauma.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Documenting You Documenting Me
16. On the 1st March 2020, Dayana (5) and Maria (3) remained close to Sarah their mother and baby brother Anelka (5 months) as police, metro and riot police surrounded Greenmarket Square to begin the eviction process. During the month of documenting the refugee children and their families I had obviously planted a seed. In this moment, amidst the uncertainty and fear of what was happening, Maria does something quite unexpected. She uses a small red sports car as her camera to document me documenting her.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Lurking about or lurking doubt?
17. It is hard to dispute the fact that the South African government mismanaged its primary responsibility in taking care of its own people. The result and subsequent repercussions being animosity and violent xenophobic attacks towards people, who just like you and I want to feel they have a place to call home and are safe and at peace. Protestors were asked to pack up and vacate the vicinity; however, many did not budge. It was only natural for them to want more details as they had been waiting for government to come up with a practical solution and also notify them of where they would be relocated. To clarify, my title, lurking about or lurking doubt? is in reference to the police!
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Moving Out
18. One is unable to ignore the look of despair on this teenager's face as he and his friend (background left) realise the police are serious about the eviction.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Brave Beauty
19. Dayana (5 years old) tries not to show her fear. Over 100 law enforcement officers, including riot police begin to surround the refugees. They are told to pack their belongings and to vacate the area that has been their home for close to 5 months.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Enforcing It
20. Moving in groups, these law enforcement officers make sure their presence does not go unnoticed.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Human Rights Run Riot
21. The cleanup of this section of Burg Street is almost complete. Whilst hundreds of refugees have been forced to pack up their worldly belongings and vacate the area in the sweltering heat, riot police remain on standby, in the shade.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Crushed By Crane
22. Less than an hour before, the clean up was in full force. Irrespective of whether refugees were in the process of dismantling their makeshift home or returning to collect items left behind because they were unable to vacate with everything at once, if it was in the path of the truck, fitted with a crane, it was literally scooped up as rubbish. Law enforcement together with refugees, civilians and media gather around and watch as the heart-wrenching scene takes place.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Words Would Be Wasted
23. The 1st March 2020 was a scorching day. The refugees layered their skin with cabbage leaf pulp to help prevent any sunburn and whilst their skin seemed to glow, the mood and emotion was certainly the opposite. Joy is 11 years old. There are no words that could ever describe the extent of disillusionment, uncertainty, pain, fear and hopelessness better than the expression on this young man’s face. It speaks for itself.
ASK, SEEK & KNOCK SERIES - Walk On By
24. The refugees took with them what was physically possible to carry however anything more than that, they were forced to leave behind. The truck, crane and clean up services were not far behind these officers. It was not long before the entire area was cleared, swept and hosed down to the point that there was no trace of the refugees having ever been there.
