Syrian Migrant + Chair, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Summer of 2009

This portrait is dedicated to the countless refugees on the move presently around the world. This young boy happened to be a migrant worker photographed during my time in Lebanon. His family crossed into Lebanon in search of a better economy, working in the fields picking vegetables or in the factories of the region.

Their tent towns dotted the landscape, filled with life. Most would pass by them without as much as a glance, driving at such speeds which would seem unimaginable should their own children we walking in the streets. The children themselves were incredibly resilient, taking care of themselves and their younger siblings. They played with handmade toys, a stick with a wheel at the end… or perhaps with a rag doll short on recognizable features.

This was the exact spot in which my photography began, and I yearn for the day when I can return to greet these families, as well as my own of course. My hope is that next year this will happen, that the violence in the Middle East at the moment is far, far away from this young boy and his family.

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Note: This image was made with a Canon G10.

Young Girl + Tent, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Summer of 2010

Her portrait is the last image for tonight, as she is the younger sister of the girl running down that path. Every year she seems to know the timing of my arrival. As she told her father one day, 'Halim always comes during Ramadan.'

Her father is a most open-minded person, and has stood up for me on several occasions including during a rift between me and his own brother. When this rift happened, he brought me and his brother in front of the town elders to hear our stories, listened to both of us and then decided that his brother's treatment of me was both wrong and inappropriate… telling his brother than he needed to mind his own affairs and leave me alone to photograph the children.

This is where she gets her strength, and divine spirit. She is the gentlest of little girls, always greeting me with love and kindness. I have missed photographing her for the past five years, and feel a deep sense of sadness. The violence in the region means that her life is beyond my idea of complex, and to place her and her family in danger with my visit would be foolish.

Hopefully change will come much sooner than later, and we can once again sit down for tea under the clear blue Lebanese sky!

www.halimina.org

Note: This image was made with a Canon G10.