Dubai exhibition focuses on plight of refugees

On the screens and walls of this gallery at Dubai are images that tell the stories of refugees fleeing war.

The recording, sent by smartphone, is one of many messages between Syrians that Jordanian photographer has compiled into her short film.

The film is showing at an exhibition in Dubai focused on the plight of refugees and migrants, including Syrians, as Europe struggles with its biggest migration crisis since World War II.

Habjouqa’s film features voice recordings and images exchanged by Syrian family members separated by a five-year conflict that has killed more than 270,000 people and pushed nearly five million into exile.

“It was through these messages on WhatsApp I understood the story for the first time deep in me and I understood what was going on. I understand more deeply what it means to be migrating,“Tanya Habjouqa, photographer said.

The exhibition also paid tribute to Leila Alaoui, the French-Moroccan photographer and video artist who died aged 33 after being shot in terrorist attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in Janurary.

In 2015, more than a million migrants entered Europe, about half of them Syrians fleeing war, with Germany shouldering most of the burden.

The exhibition runs from March 10 – April 7.