We Are Not Soldiers

We are not soldiers is an extension of the photo series We are the Heritage, working in collaboration with the Aprojed project in the Northern Congo. The goal of the project was to depict the courage of children and teenagers working to surmount the burden of being an ex-child soldier. Many of them were victims- kidnaped and forced into an armed conflict, who now have finally found freedom. The trauma and stigma that still follows them, however, threatens to haunt them for the rest of their lives. I feel that their strength and power to surmount past violence needs to be showcased. By surrounding the subjects in the fabric Pagee, representing the cultural history and part of the land, I wish to show that the legacy of a nation is not based on fabrics but rather the children whose futures we must support for the strength of the community.