Photography began at an early age for Victor. As a teenager in his hometown of Volos, Greece he borrowed a camera from a local shop. As soon as he could afford it, the first thing he bought was his own camera, “If I didn’t have to overcome my own financial difficulties as a young person,” he says, “I probably would have gone in to the arts.” Today, despite a successful and hectic career in international project development, photography remains a fervent passion and his SLR is a fixture in his briefcase on every trip. “I have taken photographs from over 40 different countries,” he says, “but Nigeria has become a major focus for me. I have more photographs from Nigeria than all the other countries combined. I am continually amazed at the vitality of the country and its people,” he says, “ In the early days I quickly discovered that the majority of Nigerians are very much the same as the majority all over the world, mostly poor and not necessarily treated well by their own country people. I saw Nigerian kids and teenagers whose counterparts in many other countries would probably become petty criminals. In Nigeria they may be treated as petty criminals but they are in fact thriving business entrepreneurs trying to make a few naira a day to survive. As I got to understand the system in the country, I learnt about hope, disillusionment, more hope and more disillusionment, sometimes anger, and sometimes fear of what might happen if people did what they really wanted to do.” 

Victor discovered how a combination of religion, government and other factors could keep a lot of people from doing what they really should be doing to claim their part of the wealth of the country. He recounts the story of a security guard at a hotel whose story echoes many from his income bracket. The man is afraid of taking a day off when he is sick knowing there are people lining up to take his job. With his salary of $70 a month from which he has to spend a great deal on transportation and feeding many mouths. The security guard is often in deficit and getting sick because his immune system in not strong. The reality of his life makes his job obsolete. His poor health means he really cannot provide any security if lives depended on it. “I asked questions from which I got no answers,” Victor adds, “I learned a lot about the lives of the majority of the people and how they viewed the wealthier minority. The dignity, smiles and work ethic I witness everyday are at odds with their reputation. But I don’t need to say it. My photographs tell that story.”

At a November 2008 exhibition and launch of his book ‘Nigeria Through the Eyes of a Passerby,’ Victor explained how his hobby turned in to a coffee table publication. “With the country increasingly becoming interesting,” he said, “I looked for photography books and surprisingly there were none available. I met with the commissioner of tourism in Rivers State five years ago and asked for a brochure on tourism but he had nothing save for an old map which had to be taken off the Governor’s wall.  There is so little material to promote the nation. I decided there was a need to tell the Nigerian story so I started pushing for European magazines to publish photos of Nigeria just to show the people, not landscapes. One of them accepted giving me the boost I needed.”

Victor’s photographs capture the fleeting moments and interactions in a frenetic country, “I don’t pose anyone,” he says, “ I don’t want to show beauty that is posed. That is very easy to do anywhere in the world which is what a lot of commercial photography is all about. My photographs celebrate people, their lives, dignity and beauty at work. I want to show the beauty of the people going about their activities without them necessarily knowing I’m there. My pictures elicit diverse reactions. A lot of people are puzzled, some are concerned about my safety, and some prefer not to see the reality of life outside the windows of their cars. My goal at the end of the day is to say to people: keep your windows open, talk to other people. Many say it is difficult in Nigeria but it is not difficult. Each person has an option either to talk to the ‘everyday people’ that appear in my photographs or to ignore them. When I talk to them they react and that is the difference. If five people decide to try it then my photographs are a success.”

Norway’s unprecedented decision was recently announced by Terge Sjeggestad, the director of the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) a quasi-judicial body under Norway’s ministry of local government and regional development.

The reason for the action is because refugees in Greece live in extremely unpleasant and problematic conditions, very often described as very serious.

The sad fact is that the state does not take into account their rights and many become victims of persecution and human rights violation. This has made Greece to lag behind other EU member states on a wide range of issues, including asylum procedures. At this point, rectifying these problems should be paramount focus and if Norway has taken the initiative to address  it, then a solution is possible.

Moavia Ahmed from Sudan has lived in Greece as a political refugee for seventeen years. His take on the situation.

Greece is a not open to refugees, especially political refugees, because the environment is not conducive. Also, the country does not offer facilities that are recognized by international laws to which it is a signatory.

The state makes it difficult for the people, which is why refugees are almost nonexistent in comparison to other European countries. The intent is to create an environment that will make it impossible for them to make a home in the country. Again, this is because Greece can accept workers but not refugees. So, many people who are here in Greece are recognized as workers but they are actually refugees. It is a complex situation.

Nikitas Kaklamanis was born in the Cycladic island of Andros 52 years ago. A medical doctor,former European parliamentarian and government minister. He became mayor of Athens in 2007. Three weeks after taking office, he joined the mayors of Rome and Paris to call for a world wide abolition of the death penalty.

What is it like being the Mayor of Athens?

It is, undoubtedly, a position of enormous responsibility. And, above all, it is a position which involves dedication, love and vision for the city. Without these elements, one cannot expect results.

What kind of challenges have you faced since you assumed office?

As the Mayor of Athens, one is called upon to deal with numerous, pressing matters. Cleanliness, effective waste management, increased green space, the securing of equal opportunities for all citizens and residents of Athens, improvement in quality of life. However, the greatest challenge we face, the goal of all municipal initiatives and policies, is to persuade citizens to love their city.

What are your views on immigration?

Immigration is a social reality which we must face without fear. In this way, we view migrants not as a covert enemy but as a valuable element of today’s society, individuals who make a substantial contribution to development. For this reason, we are developing initiatives which utilize diversity and multiformity in a way which: promotes the concept of cohesion, with respect for the values and aspirations of all citizens regardless of their ethnicity and cultural background; ensures equal opportunities for all migrants with respect to their participation and development in social, political and economic life; assures that all migrants feel at home in Athens so that they respect the city and build their future here. We want migrants to be considered familiar rather than foreign, neighbours rather than guests. We want Athens to become a truly multicultural global metropolis.

The immigration issue is a problem in Greece. Any plans to address it?

The problem, of course, is not immigration in itself nor is it the migrants who want to live and work in Athens. The problem stems from law violation. The truth is that the image we see in the city centre is not the best. For this reason, we are obliged to proceed rapidly with the introduction of integration policies sought by migrants so that they may remain in our city, on the one hand, and implement relevant measures, on the other. A common European immigration policy is imperative.

Will long term residency be adopted in Greece and will the fee be reduced? It’s the highest in Europe.

The status of long-term residents is determined by the Ministry of the Interior. Migrants may apply for a long-term residence permit after five years of living and working in Greece legally. From that point on, we can consider the concession of voting rights in accordance with the Constitution. Within this framework, the fee is a matter which will be amended accordingly.

Do you have plans for the integration of the many African vendors who cannot sell at the laiki any more, How Can this be addressed?

This is a central government issue. Municipalities, on their own, cannot provide solutions to all problems.

Many long-term African residents face a series of problems in Greece beginning with the second generation who have no birth certificate to prove their birth in Greece. What is being done about this?

As I mentioned earlier, Athens, like other cities in Greece and the European Union, is being called upon to deal with an interesting paradox. Although the central authorities and EU decide migration policy, local communities are ultimately called on to implement integration policy on a small scale. The Ministry must fully clarify this status and set requirements and conditions that need to be fulfilled in order to secure this status so that this issue can be resolved.

The labour market is virtually non existent for immigrants, especially for the Africans. Any plan to integrate them using a work programme adopted by most EU countries?

Of course. First, the City of Athens regularly organizes Greek-language classes for adult migrants, as this was acknowledged as a basic need through our contacts with community representatives. Also, the municipality organizes basic computer skills seminars in order to improve participants’ chances of securing employment and contribute to their smooth social integration. A steady flow of information and advice is offered to migrants in order to facilitate their integration into Greek society. The problem is that a considerable number of the migrants in question do not possess or provide identification documents.

The recent elections did not focus on immigration. Does this show that Greece is becoming anti-immigration?

The pre-election period was so brief that I am afraid numerous important matters were not addressed. Certainly, immigration is a tough issue and political parties, fearful of the political cost, are hard-pressed to deal with it.

Will things ever change as most African immigrants have no hope?

The African community is one of the city’s most beloved. I understand the difficulties which all migrants face, and I am certain these will be solved through our joint efforts. What is most important is that we view life in the city in a similar fashion. All who wish to live and work in Athens can do so if they gain a deeper understanding of one another. Come join us in making Athens a city where the children speak the same language, the language of understanding and common goals.

What’s next on your agenda for the African immigrants in the city?

Plans will be implemented as part of the upgrading of the city’s multi-lingual radio station Athens International Radio 104.4 FM. Additionally, a communications office will be set up in each City District, while a CD is in the works, featuring music from around the world, including African songs, of course.

Telmo Baltazar, a spokesperson for EU’S Vice president, Commissioner Franco Franttini explained, that the proposal will help tackle the demographic problem resolving from Europe’s aging population which has affected the highly skilled labour force. The creation of the EU blue card will introduce a single application procedure based on a set of common criteria.

Immigrants applying for the blue card will be highly qualified individuals who will be employed on a set of criteria such as the existence of a job contract, a salary threshold and possibly the existence of specific or professional qualification from the individual. The primary idea is to deal with the aging population with demographic challenges ahead while remaining competitive.

Moavia Ahmed of the Greek forum of Migrants says the Blue card will not really help because the main problem is not another kind of resident permit but the outline of the whole immigration policy that the EU adopts. Europe has different kind of permits, in Greece there are 34 kinds of resident permits. The basic issue is giving rights to the immigrants. Besides, what kind of rights will these immigrants have? This is just a band aid as the most salient issue is yet to be addressed. Is Europe really willing to accept other cultures and races?

Football’s biggest campaign against racism and related discrimination kicked off today in Athens.

The Fare action week will be hosted for the first time jointly by the Athens Municipality and the Super League.

In Athens, the event will begin with players parading around the Stadium with the FARE Flag and banners Against Racism in Europe, “Football for All”, “Football for Families”

Schools with a high population of immigrant communities have been chosen and the goal is to have the participation of immigrants who often than not would not have the ability to follow a professional game.

This year’s event is expected not only to address the problem of Racism in Football but to benefit ethnic minority communities in non-European countries.

The FARE campaign has been on for eight years and the big question is has it been effective?

Greece is the last on the Index of countries concerning immigration, meaning that the policies for integration of legal immigrants in

An interesting conclusion indicates that Greece is no longer compared to other South European countries and Mediterranean countries but is most probably compared to other East European countries and new entries into the European Union. As other European countries and Mediterranean countries have moved forward, after the initial shock of immigration.

This study shows that Greece is yet to understand that Immigration is not something that concerns immigrants alone. As immigration covers every single aspect of modern society from social security, safety, social cohesion and education.

Does this mean the Greek public still has some fears and are uncomfortable with immigrants living in the country? Kathy tzilivakis of the Athens News: 

It’s a bit of both and it is a Europe wide trend to see a rise in the far right ultra nationalist parties. In this case, Laos will use its ten seats in parliament to obviously exploit the anti-immigrant sentiments that we see from opinion polls in the Greek public.  With the Conservative New Democracy party in power, we do see that the overall character of immigration legislation in Greece is very inflexible and restrictive, this has created a lot of dissatisfaction and frustration among immigrants. A lot still has to be said about the integration policy.

In Greece the lack of legal status of so many immigrants is a considerable problem to even talk about the process of Integration. So it’s not only the lack of legal status, it’s also the intermittent nature of sometimes having a legal document and sometimes not.

If this is not sorted out, by the Greek State having a more flexible and open policy. Integration will proceed very slowly, much more poorly in Greece than any other European Union country.

If the law has clearly defined who a migrant is, one who is without Greek citizenship and under the UN convention rule, someone who has been away from his or her country for more than one year. The big question is why the policy of the Greek state makes it almost impossible for the migrant population to fully integrate.

The unfortunate part is lack of knowledge on the exact number of immigrants that are employed in the labour sector as the census of 2001 was a rough estimate. The census showed that Egyptians were in the majority excluding other African Nationals who may have overstayed their visas or study documents or are here with other documents. Greece does not release the data but the high visibility of African migrants may be just the exact opposite. There is a possibility of overestimation.

The policy of the European Union on migration(African) is not understood as only national policies exist. The existing policy is on policing the borders relating primarily to the Mediterranean. This cannot be effective as people will find a way to migrate if they want to.

Most Mediterranean countries face constant problems in this area. Spain has tried to address the issue, which is finding ways for people to legally migrate. Now, it directly accepts skilled labour from Mauritania and other West African countries. A move opposed by the rest of Europe.
Britain has the history of encouraging medical migration which it is now stopping because it’s realized how disastrous it is for African countries who are losing their medical personnel.

The debate on what should be done about migration has become complex and one wonders if progress will really be made. With increased emphasis on regional issues, maybe the debate should be on Europe as a continent and Africa as a coherent continent.

This is regardless of the contribution and integration of their parents to the Greek state. The fight which has caught the attention of human rights groups is a systematic form of exclusion from the larger society. As the second generation simply have no legal right to live in the country, once they turn 18.

When born in the country, they receive a certificate of birth which translates to some form of identification. So, with no claim to citizenship, they are treated as illegal once they are old enough.
The unfortunate part is their non acceptance in the Greek public schools. And what should be a privilege suddenly becomes a struggle.

The struggle has left mothers, without hope for their children. The Greek state on its part refuses to accept and recognize that there is indeed racism. They think it is a characteristic and phenomenon of other European countries.

Some points raised by the Mothers include:

Not wanting their children to go through what they went through to be legalized and accepted in Greece.

The need to be given the opportunity to integrate, contribute and play a crucial role in the progress and development of the country.

Refusing to allow the bounds of today be the bounds of the future generation.

Standing up and fighting to make a change in the lives of their children.

A non governmental organisation exclusivly involved with the task of making reports on issues involving racism and xenophobia against immigrants, the National focal point on Racism and xenophobia and another non govermental organisation, the Ombudsman have both advocated that legalizing children born in Greece could be resolved not necessarily through citizenship. As this may be a lengthy procedure and a costly one. Opting for the long term residence status may be an ideal solution. Though, many contest the 900 Euro fee.