A House Without Windows

by Marc Ellison, Didier Kassaï (Illustrator)

By the delicate hand of Didier Kassaï (Storm Over Bangui) comes a graphic documentary about the street children of Bangui, told in a style that mixes photos and illustrations.

In the Central African Republic, children grow up in a state of insecurity, poverty, and malnutrition. The land has become what many call "a house without windows."

Through illustrations, photos, and videos (activated via QR codes), this comic takes readers into the heart of this "forgotten crisis." Central African artist Didier Kassai and British photojournalist Marc Ellison guide readers through the harsh stories of Bangui’s children—slaving in diamond minds, housed in refugee camps—and showcase their inspirational courage in the face of unimaginable poverty.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Comics, Africa, War, Central African Republic, Graphic Novels Comics

161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2018

About the author

Marc is an award-winning video- and photojournalist known for his innovative work with photo/graphic novels, and 360 video. He has worked across the African continent since 2011 reporting on topics such as female child soldiers, female genital mutilation and the impact of war on children for outlets including Al Jazeera, the BBC, The Guardian, and The Toronto Star.

Reviews

[Ed Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalism in the form of a graphic novel plus photographs created from interviews with people, including homeless children, in the Central African Republic, showing the struggles that the people face. One reason the book cites for on-going problems is that they live in a "house without windows". In other words, few outside the area see what is going on.

He also made video from this trip, but I haven't seen that. Quoting from the author's website: Using embedded QR codes, this graphic novel allows readers to scan and watch immersive 360 videos to witness first-hand the effects of war on children in Central African Republic. Children forced to work in diamond mines, grow up in refugee camps, or live on the streets of Bangui.

[Jaclyn Hillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A House Without Windows is a graphic documentary by photojournalist Marc Ellison and artist Didier Kassaï.

The Central African Republic (CAR) is a former French colony that is crippled by misrule and corruption. Recently, 400,000 people were forced to flee their homes due to deadly fighting and more than half are still displaced today. Armed groups have enlisted 3,000 child soldiers in the past few months. Even before its most recent crisis, 2.8 million people – 57% of the population – needed humanitarian assistance and protection. The land has become what many call "a house without windows."

The CAR is one of the worst countries in the world to be a child. The decades of corruption has caused high rates of poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition. Many schools have closed and very few children are enrolled in the ones that remain open. Children leave the homes they do have because of abuse, and choose to live on the streets instead.

Marc captures photographs of these children while Didier tells their stories through his art. I love how the photographs were weaved through the story, as it really feels like reading a documentary. You see children working in diamond mines and you get a sense of what it’s like for them living on the street. Even with the ongoing humanitarian crisis, these children show so much courage. I appreciate this story being told so more people can learn about what’s happening.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader I appreciate how graphic novels are particularly good at distilling complex historical/social topics. This mix of photojournalism and illustration is beautifully done and very effective in helping the reader understand an unfamiliar country and its humanitarian crisis. A difficult but memorable read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can honestly say I've never read a book, fiction or nonfiction, set in the Central African Republic. The CAR is second from the bottom on the UN's human development index, meaning that children face constant poverty, starvation, malnutrition, violence, backbreaking labour, and more. These stories are often not told at all in western media, and extremely limited international aid makes it there despite the dire circumstances. In A House Without Windows (a title which refers to the ways in which the CAR is not a place outsiders get to see inside of), Marc Ellison (a photojournalist from the UK) and Didier Kassaï (a Central African comics creator) teamed up to share stories about the lives of children in the CAR and the lives of workers in medicine and education who are trying to improve the situation for children. Primarily told through Kassaï's art, it also features a number of photos from Ellison, and the book follows the men as they travel around looking to interview the children and workers.

A House Without Windows is educational and profoundly moving, with excellent accompanying art and photos. I do wish it had been longer or that there were a wider variety of English language resources to go to next. I would highly recommend it though.

[Eduardo Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s 2021. Forget flying cars, where’s our absolute-bare-minimum attempt to lift fellow humans out of the cycle of poverty, ignorance, and violence? Where’s our awareness of our responsibility to ... oh, never mind. I can be so naïve sometimes.

This is a harrowing read. Painful, brutally shocking, overwhelming even. The artwork is effective, the text powerful without being preachy, recognizing complex nuances without crude fingerpointing. The entire system is so fundamentally broken that it would be easy to fall into despair, and, OK, I’ll confess to having done so in a few places. But the book is much more than that. It’s not doom & gloom, and it certainly doesn’t end on a Note Of Hope, the authors simply present what feels like a responsible honest picture of a situation you and I have not been aware of.

As for my initial question: there’s MSF. Every year I grow more awed by their work. Even if it’s an embodiment of the “saved THAT one!” starfish gag, even when I rage because the lever principle so clearly suggests that a nudge here (education, outreach, food distribution, listening) would be so much more fruitful than scattered efforts there, sometimes there’s just no way to make those nudges. Props to MSF and others for their work, to Ellison and Kassaï for shedding their light.

[Karen Mardahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thic is a graphic novel that should be front page news. I think it is safe to say that people know war or conflict is not good for children, but seeing first hand what is actually happening with these children is so frustrating. It makes me feel angry and helpless. The healthcare workers with Medicins sans Frontieres seem to be the only ones who care about helping out. That they keep on going day after day despite all the barriers they encounter. The kids who work digging for diamonds because that gives them some chance of some money for food - "what's the point of school", they say - leave me speechless. Didier Kassaï gives these children voices through his drawings. Why aren't more people listening? This is a country ranked as the penultimate poorest country in the world in 2020 on the UN Human Development Index (188 out of 189). That is ghastly.

I give this book 5 stars because it is well put together, but I also hope that the high ranking gets more people to see it.

I can't put a trigger warning on this book because the crisis this country is living in is a trigger warning. If this book doesn't stun you and horrify you, I would say you aren't human. I don't mean "surprise you". You really should know that there has been conflict here for some time. I mean "stun and horrify" as in here we have the stories of individuals living this way. In 2022. (Yes, I know the material was gathered several years ago, but I haven't heard of any miracles happening there lately.)

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will admit my ignorance of the Central African Republic and use it to draw attention to the value of graphic novels (or graphic documentaries like this was called). With vibrant illustrations, moving photography, and simple descriptive language, I learned about the terrible life for children in this country divided by religion, occupations (farmers vs cattle movers), and other stuff I still don't understand (Anti-Balaka and Seleka groups). The kids are abused by their fathers and run away at 11 or younger, according to the kids interviewed. There's one shelter in the city of Bangui where boys get attention, shelter, food, and some job training. The girls seems to have to prostitute themselves out; this isn't a story about their particular issues and vulnerabilities as females. The sad ending shows a Doctors Without Borders group training moms to love their babies, because the situation is really that bad.

[Barbara McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my heart! The horrible sufferings of people in these cyclical conflicts that seem so hard to resolve. I was a bit surprised the graphical novel literally depicts the visits to these areas to interview residents in addition to what they are describing but you soon get used to the format because the content is so moving. The photos are stunning as well. It will definitely make you want to help in any way you can including donating to MSF.

[Lorryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading!

I really hope one day the people of the Central African Republic have peace and healing.

I want to add that I thought incorporating photography with the drawings was brilliant and there's even a QR code to scan that links to a 360 view video for a more in person look of Central African Republic while telling you about it.

[Annamari Laaksonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I end up reading a comic book by CAR artist Didier Kassaï and British photojournalist Marc Ellison called A House Without Windows (2018). It is a graphic novel about children in CAR – street kids in Bangui, malnourished children in the countryside, children affected by the conflict. It is an astonishing book that mixes photos, illustrations and a 360˚video documentary. It shows the cruel reality of children in a broken country. The title reflects what the authors believe the Central African Republic has become. When a house has no windows, no one can see in but also you cannot see the world outside. It is a photo documentary and an illustration of what these children are facing. The photos in the book are accompanied by short reflections, many of which are based on real interviews. In one series of illustrations a boy who escaped from a children’s centre says:” I left the children’s centre. They have witches there… I was afraid that one of them was going to put a curse on me, so I got up during the night and broke his nose before he could do that… then I ran away. I am afraid of living on the streets, but I’m more afraid of witches.” The photos show how dangerous it is to sleep outside, and there is only one centre for street kids in Bangui. The priest working for the centre estimates that there are around 6,000 children sleeping rough in Bangui. The children have escaped domestic violence, lost their parents due violence or been abandoned by their mothers once their fathers have died – or they are accused of witchcraft. Then there are all the children that face poverty, hunger and violence. It is a heartbreaking book of devastating, exquisite art.

I read this book as part of our Virtual Nomad quest to explore and experience food, literature and cinema from different countries. www.myvirtualnomad.com

[Walaa El-Bana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried to start my review by saying how good the writing and the art in this book are, but I couldn't. yes, they're good, but I feel so useless after reading this book that I can't comment on things like the art.
so many people are suffering and no one even knows about them. I read the book and it broke my heart, but I really have no idea what should I do to help and the worst part is I don't think I can do anything to help them. and that's why I feel so useless. I used to complain about a lot of things like the education system in my country or the speed of the internet connection that I use and today I realized that I was an idiot because having a school, an internet connection and a safe place to live in these are faraway dreams for so many people, dreams they risk their lives everyday to get a chance at making them come true and most of the time they never get the chance to make them come true and most of the time that's not because of any fault of their part, but simply because they weren't lucky enough because violence is random it's never clear what will happen to who and when. I really hope that their suffering end and that one day I will be able to help those in need.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim at the library. Turning this topic about the issues in Central African Republic into a graphic novel was a bold move but makes total sense. Hard to dismiss the images and therefore the (true) story of what is happening there.

[Holly Cruise · Rating 4 out of 5]

2022 Read A Graphic Novel Every Week Challenge - 32/52
Graphic novel book group book: October 2022

A House Without Windows is graphic novel reportage, but unlike a lot of this genre, it is at least partly a product of the place it covers. It is a collaboration between photojournalist Marc Ellison and artist Didier Kassaï, the latter of whom is a comics artist from the Central African Republic, about which this is a series of snapshots.

CAR is one of the poorest countries on Earth, and A House Without Windows doesn't hesitate to show the struggle. Mostly Kassaï's art, it also splices in some of Ellison's photos of the people they speak to, many of whom are children. The photos certainly show the care and accuracy in Kassaï work, which uses vibrant and evocative colours and lines to bring it all to life.

Being able to see CAR through the eyes of one of its own creators gave it a pleasing sense of empathy. Sometimes graphic novel reportage can feel distant, or like it is observing for the sake of art. But A House Without Windows tackles some very harsh and dark truths without sensationalising. It retains a sense that CAR is a place populated by real people who are living their lives as best they can. It is perhaps deliberate that many of the people interviewed are children, a group who also often get talked over.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writer Marc Ellison and Kassai Didier offer an illustrated look at the grim circumstances for impoverished kids in the Central African Republic.

Unstable, underdeveloped and wracked by sectarian violence, the Central African Republic brings up the bottom end of many world development rankings. Children are among those who suffer most, and Ellison and Didier recount their stories: street kids fleeing abusive parents, pre-teens forced into grueling labor digging from diamonds, orphans who saw their parents murdered by guerilla armies.

It's depressing, obviously, but Didier's watercolor-style art brings some welcome lightness to the subject. The suffering of the kids he talks to is softened some by his airy style without diminishing the harsh reality they've faced.

Ellison and Didier also manage to find people helping in the midst of these horrors, aid groups and charity organization doing their best with meager resources. In doing so, the creators manage the difficult job of rendering how dire the situation is without making it seem totally hopeless. "A House without Windows" is a tough read, though, accurately conveying the waste and loss of this struggling society.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting work of journalism, blending photography and comics to shine a light on the plight of children in conflict-torn the Central African Republic. Didier Kassaï, a resident of the CAR, skillfully renders the children and their families while also serving as the point of view character. Marc Ellison, while credited as the writer and producer of the comic, takes a back seat, giving Kassaï center stage. Photographs are rarely used with comics, since they bear the risk of making the comic look like a fumetti strip, artificial at best, reminiscent of joke books at worst, but by occasionally dropping full page photos into the narrative, it works in many ways as photographs accompanying newspaper articles. This is a solid effort, worth reading alongside experts in comics journalism like Joe Sacco. Even if they don’t reach the virtuosic heights of Sacco’s storytelling, it’s very much worth a look.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. It truly puts windows into daily life in Central African Republic. The format is perfect in its combo of photographs and sketches showing the process of their research. Your heart goes out to every child they speak with and breaks as you hear their stories. The world needs to read this book to see what is happening and do something about it. $4 a day to send a kid to school for a whole year. I’ll be skimping on Starbucks from now on to gather money for such worthy organizations. The sanctuaries that have been created to help the children of these awful conditions are proof that help is there. They just need more, so much more. This book shows that! And he sure to watch the video with the QR code because you get to see all of the people in the book. Such an incredible job of giving a voice to these lost children.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m doing a “book bingo” challenge at the library and I needed a graphic novel to fill in a box. This one—whew. I remember watching Blood Diamond years ago and feeling this profound sense of helplessness. Kids turned into soldiers and given addictive drugs as a kind of leash to keep them from escaping. This book has the same effect: it’s just overwhelmingly sad to hear about the poverty in Central African Republic. All the troubles are intertwined: war leads to orphans, hostile gangs lead to reduced farm land, malnutrition leads to sickness, and lack of infrastructure prevents everyone from getting to help. It’s awful. The goal here is to open a window through cartoon reportage and photography so that we can see into the “country with no windows.”

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic novel / Interactive media experience about the ongoing conflict in the Central African Republic and how it impacts the everyday lives of citizens. Much of the graphic novel is centered around the health and welfare of children and mothers unintentionally swept up into the aftermath of a conflict they don't have any stake in. Like so many geopolitical events that don't happen in the Western world, I hadn't read a single thing about this and was just depressed reading it. It's very illuminating. Didier Kassaï's art pairs well with Marc Ellison's photography. Not the kind of graphic novel one "enjoys" but worth reading and drawing attention to.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel is basically just a photojournalistic and illustrated report on the conditions of those living in the Central African Republic. I am ashamed that I previously knew next to nothing of what people's lives there are like. The personal stories of the children living on the streets and the families attempting to survive on next to nothing are impossible to dismiss. I picked this book up from the new nonfiction shelf at my library and am glad that I came across it. I only hope that the efforts to stabilize the situation in the area can change things for these suffering people.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heartbreaking but important book.

It tells about the situation in the Centra African Republic. Children are malnourished, they work in the diamond mines, they don't go to school...they suffer. And very little is known about their situation because very little media coverage occurs.

This graphic novel is a mix of illustrations and photographs depicting the life of the people who live in this country. It's both sad and beautiful.

[Bob Marcacci · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graphic novel about the conflicts around diamond mining in the Central African Republic and its detrimental effect on the lives of children there. I wanted more and longer kids’ narratives, especially female narratives. Unusual combination of illustration and photograph that certainly opens a window into lives and places not often depicted in the media.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less a graphic novel than a photo essay without photos, this innovative title takes an unflinching look at the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic. The format switches up so frequently, however, it is difficult to build momentum as a reader. Still, an ambitious and important work.

[Mark Will Never Cry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel is made up of intervieves with children in Central African Republic. There are a couple of intervieves with adults too, but all of them are concentrated on finding ways to help children in the country. It is well drawn and relays a lot of information in a pretty short book. Overall, good job by the artist.

[Marcela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graphic documentary, beautiful done.
Life on the street, they are just little kids.
Theirs is a childhood interrupted, a childhood lost.
Central African Republic is one of the worst countries in the world to be a child.

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important read, letting us peek into life in the Central African Republic, which as the title indicates is often unseen by people outside the country. The artwork is fantastic and the photographs complement the art and text every well.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The graphic novel format + pictures of the real children the author is discussing was extremely effective. I learned a lot from this book, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to get a new perspective on the issues happening in this area.

[André Filipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short book we should all read.
Gosh, the pain...

" I want you to meet Dieufera. He's seven years old. He's severely malnourished, but he's also got malaria and tuberculosis. And he's HIV positive. But he's living up to his name - he's a fighter".

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oof. That was bleak. I haven't read a reportage comic in a while, but this one takes you into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Just awful what children are forced to endure. Thanks are due to Ellison and Didier for opening at least a small window into this far-off house.

[ArchaeoLibraryologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sobering. A beautiful work shedding light on a depression reality of the life of many children in the Central African Republic.

[Tim Wester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but interesting way to tell the story