Moments from Ethiopia by Magnum photographer 

“I simply look up at the horizon and dream. It’s the only place that never discourages me from dreaming.”  These words, spoken by a refugee living in the Awbarre camp in Ethiopia, stayed with Lindokuhle Sobekwa. Sobekwa is a South African photographer whose work is featured in a new collection of UNIQLO’s PEACE FOR ALL campaign. UNIQLO is a long-standing partner of UNHCR, and part of the sales proceeds from this collection will be donated to UNHCR and our work for people forced to flee.   

For the collection, UNIQLO collaborated with Magnum Photos, a cooperative representing the world’s most celebrated photographers. Three Magnum members visited the country operations where UNIQLO’s parent company, Fast Retailing, has provided humanitarian assistance.  Lindokuhle Sobekwa was one of the selected Magnum photographers. Facilitated by UNHCR, he traveled to Ethiopia in January 2024 and met with refugees in Aw-barre and Kebribeyah camps in Ethiopia. Through his lens, he witnessed a slice of the everyday life of refugees in the camps. 

Lindokuhle Sobekwa. ©Refilwe Mrwebi

Hope. Dreams. Resilience  

Ethiopia is home to more than 1 million refugees and asylum seekers from South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, and Eritrea, where 47% of refugees are women and girls and 59% are children.  

Ikran Abdulahi Ali at home with her daughters, braiding the hair of her youngest. ©Lindokuhle Sobekwa/ Magnum Photos

“Meeting the growing needs of people forced to flee continues to be an alarming concern, not just for Ethiopia, but globally,” Tarik Argaz, Communications Officer in Ethiopia, explains. “While UNHCR works with Government entities and partners to protect refugees and foster their inclusion in society, there is still much to be done, and we need every help we can get from the donor community, private sector, and individuals to meet the needs of refugees in Ethiopia.”  

UNHCR supports forcibly displaced people through protection counseling, gender-based violence prevention, refugee registration, health care, and education for refugees. In 2024, Ethiopia saw over 15,000 new refugees and asylum seekers seeking protection and assistance.  

“I learn so much from the people I photograph. Working with people in Aw–barre Camp, Hope, Dreams, and Resilience became a central conversation I wanted my work to represent.” Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Magnum photographer 

Amidst ongoing conflict in the country, Sobekwa’s masterful command of shadow and light brings color to refugees’ day-to-day lives. During his visit, he led a workshop to empower refugees’ freedom of expression and creativity through photography. “Through the workshop, I realized that was such an important thing for some of the refugee families, having these photos,” says Sobekwa.

“Images are a mark of time; they are a mark of memory, that important object that is full of experiences for people.”  

Through powerful visual storytelling, he and other Magnum artists amplify the voices of those affected by violence, persecution, and conflict, bringing international humanitarian efforts to protect these individuals into the spotlight.  

Lindokuhle Sobekwa’s complete photo collection for the PEACE FOR ALL campaign will be exhibited in Tokyo, London, New York, Stockholm, Taipei, Singapore, Roma, Seoul, and Petaling Jaya from September to October alongside the powerful works of Cristina de Middel and Olivia Arthur from Vietnam and Romania.

About the Partnership 

Since 2006, the partnership between UNHCR and Fast Retailing (UNIQLO’s parent company) has grown multi-faceted, becoming a model of the lasting impact the private sector can have on supporting people forced to flee. Through cash and clothing assistance for refugees, self-reliance programs, refugee employment, and awareness campaigns, Fast Retailing continues to protect and support people forced to flee.  

 About PEACE FOR ALL 

In its third year, the PEACE FOR ALL initiative has engaged artists worldwide, including Roger Federer, Khaled Hosseini, Haruki Murakami, and many more, to design shirts embodying peace. Since the project’s inception, Fast Retailing has raised approximately 10M USD . The shirt sales proceeds are equally divided among three international organizations, including UNHCR. 

About the photographer 

Born in South Africa in 1995, Lindokuhle Sobekwa came to photography in 2012 through his participation in the Of Soul and Joy Project, an educational program run in Thokoza. His early projects dealt with poverty and unemployment in the townships, while in later work Sobekwa is increasingly addressing his own life, such as his relationship with his sister, Ziyanda, who died after becoming estranged from her family. Most recently, he was announced as the recipient of the first John Kobal Fellowship, presented at Tate Modern in March 2023. Sobekwa became a Magnum nominee in 2018 and a member in 2022.