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A
Photographic Project:
« Art
and sport meet for an intense corps a corps »
The
beginning of this journey started with an invitation: participating at
an antiracist festival of football supporters in Montecchio, Italy, as
a photographer, while following the association “Luxembourg Against
Racism” during the four day events.
But, how can one approach racism, such a vast and complex topic, through
a football tournament? Especially when one has never played it, never
has been a supporter of a team, and is a woman in a world that is supposedly
reserved for men?
When arriving in Montecchio, in July 2004, I quickly realized that my
initial conceptions of the festival were incorrect. I found myself in
the midst of persons of all nationalities, all ages, who all wanted to
prove that there is no room for racism in a place where the goals are
to exchange ideas and to communicate in multiple languages, and where
football is played. During these four days, there was no winner or loser,
there were no good or bad teams, there were no teams of only men or only
women, there were no “small” or “large” countries,
and nor were there weak or strong ones. It was simply a microcosmos, a
universe without frontiers, uniting individuals under one purpose: to
demonstrate that it is possible to live with our differences. And my camera
was going to be the means to discovering it.
As I was approaching the fields to capture the sportive moments of the
event, either before or after the matches, or to try to understand their
languages and gestures, I had to “steal” the snapshots of
their looks, their smiles, and their cries of joy. Then, I would step
away for a moment of tranquility under the almost empty tents, where a
few players would rest away from the hot sun of the Mediterranean.
At dark, the party began. And again, everyone would gather to share the
experiences of the day and to prepare for the match of the day ahead.
The more days were passing by, the more I felt comfortable, and the more
I entered this universe. This time, not awaiting for others to smile at
my camera, but instead offering mine.
As I was leaving the antiracist tournament, I turned around for a last
time and looked at the empty fields, which a few hours before were filled
with players fighting to score a goal against racism. I could also see
a few people exchanging their information promising to meet again the
next year.
Despite the unforgettable moments and the enriching meetings that will
stay engraved in our minds, we left this adventure with images saved in
the film of the camera. The borders were no longer existent, and the fields
were soon to be filled again for the 2005 tournament. It was obvious;
we had won our challenge. Our team was present in a universe where racism
did not exist.
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INFO : kickracismout@yahoo.com :::: |
