south sudanese child soldiers + refugees now superstars campaign against violence

south sudanese child soldiers + refugees now superstars campaign against violence
(above) ajak deng — supermodel (louis vuitton, vogue, lanvin), activist and refugee. at the age of 14, ajak fled the violence of the sudanese civil war with her 7 siblings and parents to a bordering kenyan refugee camp. her mother passed away form malaria before they were about to ultimately obtain refugee status in australia. ajak’s brothers and sisters are her inspiration for achieving progress in her country

new york city-based photographer mike mellia has captured a series of portraits of south sudanese celebrities, supermodels, and musicians who were formerly refugees and child soldiers. raising awareness of the ongoing and recent violence in the northeastern african country, the collaborators campaign against the widespread terror and everyday tragedy. in collaboration with supermodel nykhor paul, a refugee herself who immigrated to america at age 9, mellia’s ‘our side of the story’ seizes poignant moments of each subject, accompanied by their family history and past experiences. the grave and moving biographies give insight into the sense of displacement, rampant loss of life and horrifying conditions for children that many of the pictured people have personally lived through. the 14 portraits will be on exhibit at tapir editions gallery, new york from april 10th, 2014.

nykhor paul –– supermodel (louis vuitton, calvin klein, DVF), activist and refugee. fled south sudan to an ethiopian refugee camp, immigrated to america at age 9, entered nebraska foster care & adopted by an american family. nykhor’s south sudanese family was unable to escape due to its large size. her dream of unity among all tribes in south sudan is one that will end the circle of violence and exile. nyknor has a strong passion for uniting south sudanese women and people of all backgrounds to build a better south sundan

ger duany — actor (the good lie – 2014, with reese witherspoon by ron howard and molly smith, I heart huckabees – 2004 with jude law, mark whalberg and dustin hoffman) humanitarian, former child soldier and ‘lost boy’ refugee. founder and executive director of the pibor foundation non-profit organisation. ger returned to south sudan in 2011, on a search to reunite with his family, vote for the first time and rebuild his nation

emmanuel jal — actor (the good lie – 2014, with reese witherspoon by ron howard and molly smith), world music icon, founder of gua africa charity, endured a 661-day hunger strike, former child soldier at the age of 7, spent several years fighting at war, ‘lost boy’ refugee. emmanuel shares his powerful feelings about his county through his everyday speech and his art, drawing the entire world towards unity for south sudan

athiey jal — son of emanuel jal and the future

ataui deng — supermodel (dior, lanvin, lacoste, hermes) and activist. ataui was born in sudan before immigrating to san antonio, texas at the age of thirteen. she is passionate about raising awareness for unity among all tribes, and uses her magnetic personality to inspire others to become involved

nyamuoch girwath — supermodel (elle, obakki) activist and refugee. her family fled on foot from south sudan to ethopia in the early 1980s, where she was both in a refugee camp. nyamuoch is touched that in south sudan, even without opportunity, people feel rich inside themselves just because they have their family, and are grateful and proud for all their gifts

manyang reath — founder of ‘humanity helping sudan’, sending aid and assistance with help from corporate brands like whole foods and allegro coffee. a refugee at age 3, he lived in refugee camps along the border between ethiopia and south sudan for 13 years before immigrating to america. he believes we can overcome the problems in south sudan by brining awareness to the issues

mari stiletto malek — supermodel (lanvin, lady gaga, kanye west) DJ, founder of the non-profit ‘stand for education foundation’ and child refugee. mari works to provide south sudanese children with access to education, opportunities and resources with a special focus on women and young girls. through education, mari encourages this next generation to lead south sudan into a new era of peace and growth

eligha ojoko — supermodel (thom brown, V magazine), activist and refugee. born into a large family of 8 siblings in south sudan, eligha escaped the violence at the height of civil war at an early age, moving through the middle east and finally arriving in pittsburgh. eligha’s love for south sudan is a captivating pull that unites her with other south sudanese women to raise awareness for their cause

amou ajang — student (columbia university – political science / international relations), writer and artist. immigrated to the US at 4 years old. took an interest in african issues of poverty and accessibility during early adolescent, as she began exploring questions of identity. amou believes that the arts must serve a role alongside policy and humanitarian endeavors in post-conflict reconciliation and healing

angelina jacob — student at the new york conservatory for dramatic arts, activist. she has been separated from her family since 1996, ultimately arriving in the US living in nebraska in 1998. angelina strives for unity throughout her country, always inspired by her experiences as a child with her family

mari agora — supermodel (rosie assoulin, elle magazine, numerous runway shows) and activist. mari studied public health at the university of california, irvine and is a powerful force in unifying women and people of all backgrounds towards the sudanese goals of peace and progress

nema philip — student, activist and model in new york city. although nema is far from home, she tries to always keeps her memories of her country and her family in mind. nema hopes her activism will raise awareness to the conflicts and lead to a unified country