Be-Longing
There are inherent contradictions in diasporas. Refugees and migrants seek to belong but hold, with tight fists, onto any familiarity. Many of these communities strive to fit in, yet, nostalgia, language, religion, and traditions are deeply rooted and misunderstood by others. Moreover, modern society and economic systems insatiably homogenize culture. As a result, we are witnessing the most significant erosion of cultural diversity.
As an immigrant myself, having moved from South Africa to the United States and as my family were refugees from Mozambique, issues of nationality, estrangement and belonging have been the primary source of my work.
In this project titled Be-Longing, I have documented this in Chattanooga's mainly Guatemalan, Hispanic community. In doing so, I have primarily focused on grocery stores and places of faith. So much tradition is based on food because of its apparent banality and widespread availability. People share meals and, in doing so, also share traditions. But within these places, signs of capitalism and globalization are everpresent- the hidden forces that threaten their culture.
I also photographed places of faith because they are the antithesis of grocery stores. The double-edged sword of faith is that religions provide many individuals with a community while expecting them to subscribe and be subject to a set of ideals- this can isolate communities from the greater society and prevent others from finding belonging. Religion is often valued as an exclusive precious experience and limited to the most faithful. But, as with all facets of the human experience, faith is commodified.
For these Guatemalan immigrants and their threatened community. Personal nourishment and spiritual salvation or not dissimilar. Within the promise of the American dream hides a price set by globalization and capitalism. So it is with the photographs I tried to capture this and find an answer to the question; will this community's culture survive despite total homogenized assimilation?
