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Human Flow: Stories from the Global Refugee Crisis
A powerful portrait of the greatest humanitarian emergency of our time, from the director of Human Flow
In the course of making Human Flow , his epic feature documentary about the global refugee crisis, the artist Ai Weiwei and his collaborators interviewed more than 600 refugees, aid workers, politicians, activists, doctors, and local authorities in twenty-three countries around the world. A handful of those interviews were included in the film. This book presents one hundred of these conversations in their entirety, providing compelling first-person stories of the lives of those affected by the crisis and those on the front lines of working to address its immense challenges.
Speaking in their own words, refugees give voice to their experiences of migrating across borders, living in refugee camps, and struggling to rebuild their lives in unfamiliar and uncertain surroundings. They talk about the dire circumstances that drove them to migrate, whether war, famine, or persecution; and their hopes and fears for the future. A wide range of related voices provides context for the historical evolution of this crisis, the challenges for regions and states, and the options for moving forward.
Complete with photographs taken by Ai Weiwei while filming Human Flow , this book provides a powerful, personal, and moving account of the most urgent humanitarian crisis of our time.
In the course of making Human Flow , his epic feature documentary about the global refugee crisis, the artist Ai Weiwei and his collaborators interviewed more than 600 refugees, aid workers, politicians, activists, doctors, and local authorities in twenty-three countries around the world. A handful of those interviews were included in the film. This book presents one hundred of these conversations in their entirety, providing compelling first-person stories of the lives of those affected by the crisis and those on the front lines of working to address its immense challenges.
Speaking in their own words, refugees give voice to their experiences of migrating across borders, living in refugee camps, and struggling to rebuild their lives in unfamiliar and uncertain surroundings. They talk about the dire circumstances that drove them to migrate, whether war, famine, or persecution; and their hopes and fears for the future. A wide range of related voices provides context for the historical evolution of this crisis, the challenges for regions and states, and the options for moving forward.
Complete with photographs taken by Ai Weiwei while filming Human Flow , this book provides a powerful, personal, and moving account of the most urgent humanitarian crisis of our time.
- GenresNonfiction
400 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2020
14 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
Ai Weiwei
33 books74 followersAi Weiwei (Chinese: 艾未未; pinyin: Ài Wèiwèi, English pronunciation; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 28, 2024
It took almost a whole year to finish this book, but I’m so glad it’s finally done. The book was poorly organized, and the interviews weren’t well-composed, yet the messages were deeply painful, and the wounds of the refugees felt raw. I pray for all the participants in these interviews and for the day the world can finally find peace.
October 16, 2021
I’m very glad I read this. It is a collection of interviews with refugees, political figures, people who work in and run non-profits involved with refugees, and more. It presents a thoughtful view of what the realities are of what is happening on the ground. i am very appreciative of this.
October 24, 2023
A hefty volume of interview transcripts with refugees, migrants and associated Government and NGO representatives, it is a hard book to rate. The transcripts are arranged more or less along the refugee hot spots (as I imagine the documentary is, although I've not seen it), with little to no linking material between the components save the Government / NGO interviews; so the usual metrics like plot, readability, grammar etc. tend to get thrown out the window.
Of an apparent 600+ interviews conducted for the documentary, (what I believe is) a representative sample of 355 are presented in the book, with the interviews being translated if not given in English, and edited and condensed "for clarity" as the Editor's note claims. As always there's a fear that the clarity being sought is not clarity but rather a redefining of meaning or position that slants the narrative towards the Editor's viewpoint, but it's hard to establish if (or if not) such a bias exists.
Underneath it all, however, is the assumption that each refugee interviewed is entitled to migrate as they wish into their desired country, and that the West (predominantly Europe in this case) is consistently and consciously maltreating the refugees and illegally refusing their right of entry. The book does not go into the actual rights and wrongs of the assumption, or address it directly, however it is there to see in each interview.
From this perspective the book should not be seen as a nuanced or even balanced attempt to work through the issue of refugees in any way, shape or form; it is simply a collection of interviews that reflect the stance of the interviewees as selected by the Editor.
If you want to find a balanced discussion or treatment of the refugee 'problem' from all sides of the fence, this is not a book for you.
If you want to listen to those whose lives form part of the global refugee phenomenon, as it is today, this book should be on your to-read list; bearing in mind the points raised above.
Of an apparent 600+ interviews conducted for the documentary, (what I believe is) a representative sample of 355 are presented in the book, with the interviews being translated if not given in English, and edited and condensed "for clarity" as the Editor's note claims. As always there's a fear that the clarity being sought is not clarity but rather a redefining of meaning or position that slants the narrative towards the Editor's viewpoint, but it's hard to establish if (or if not) such a bias exists.
Underneath it all, however, is the assumption that each refugee interviewed is entitled to migrate as they wish into their desired country, and that the West (predominantly Europe in this case) is consistently and consciously maltreating the refugees and illegally refusing their right of entry. The book does not go into the actual rights and wrongs of the assumption, or address it directly, however it is there to see in each interview.
From this perspective the book should not be seen as a nuanced or even balanced attempt to work through the issue of refugees in any way, shape or form; it is simply a collection of interviews that reflect the stance of the interviewees as selected by the Editor.
If you want to find a balanced discussion or treatment of the refugee 'problem' from all sides of the fence, this is not a book for you.
If you want to listen to those whose lives form part of the global refugee phenomenon, as it is today, this book should be on your to-read list; bearing in mind the points raised above.
September 19, 2024
This book is a great resource. It's hard to read all the way through because it's dense and not set up with great readability, but the content is solid. It's all interviews with different people involved with refugees or the refugees themselves. It offers a lot of perspective. It's heavy. Very heavy. I had to put it down at some points because of how heavy it was. I will be keeping this one on hand because it's an important book to be able to reference.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews