A poetically-illustrated portrait of the lives of a boy who left his home in The Gambia at the age of 15 and a young single-mother from Nigeria, as they transcend their difficult histories while integrating into a quiet region of southern Italy. Too often, stories about irregular migration are centered on trauma, and depict seekers of asylum as hapless victims in need of rescuing. This film subverts this commonly accepted narrative by illuminating the regality of those whom we commonly disregard as outsiders. Combining culturally representative fashion design with story-telling, the "After Migration" project celebrates the lives of refugees in ways that dispel tropes which cast them as unfortunates. In this work, subjects of irregular migration are shown as nuanced contributors to their new societies, while journeying in search of safe places to call home.

This project was conceived by Walé Oyéjidé, a TED Fellow, National Geographic Explorer and fashion designer whose work appears in the films “Black Panther” (2018) and “Coming 2 America” (2020). After Migration: Calabria is directed by Walé Oyéjidé & Jake Saner.

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