TOKYO-2016

Mohammd's New Life

  • Photographer
    Jinsub CHO

One day in September 2015, I met Mohammad at dawn near Belgrade central station. He was a refugee Damascus, Syria. We had chat for three hours and I left for Croatia. After 6 months, I met him again. He was lucky enough to reach to Germany. He and his cohabitant were arranged in a new 3 piece-apartment by German government in Marl, Germany after 3months of life in refugee camp. The cohabitant’s name is Mohammad and the names of his two best friends in Germany are Mohammad, too. Most of 1,500 refugees in Marl, Germany are from Syria and some of them Iraqis. There are few Afghans, too. They are offered a rental apartment and about 300€ of cash per each for living necessaries in accordance with German refugee policy. But the budget is never enough for living. They don't need to worry about bombs and bullets anymore. Instead, they pass the nights in anxiety because of unstable European refugee policies. For now, they are concerned over next renewal of ‘residence permit’ which will be expired 3 moths later. Mohammad has to make money for bringing his mother from Syria to Lebanon if this chaotic situation goes on in Syria. Many of refugees always talk about going back to their country hoping the war ceases and they find real peace in their homeland.

I graduated Icart Photo in Paris and he is a photojournalist. He did covering of several crucial cases, such as African refugees in Calais, Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Balkans and Syrian refugees who settles down in Germany, Rohingya in Myanmar and in Bangladesh.