Stamps and Holograms
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"Being a Colombian in the UK does not mean I am a drug dealer." Ana loves to travel and work abroad.
Transcript
"What would you use to tell someone who you are? All I have is a collection of passports. You can start by seeing me growing in these three-by-four pictures from one scared baby to one very bored adult. But the real stories are hiding behind these colourful stamps and holograms called visas.
They allow me to travel from one country to another. They can also tell you that I am a Colombian who lives and works in Great Britain and whose family is now living in Canada.
Some of these visas have hours of queues behind them and a ton of documents required to prove that - no - I don't want to stay as an illegal immigrant in your country and abuse your system, and that - no - being a Colombian does not mean that I am a drug dealer in search of new markets.
I have my favourite pages. This very colourful one for example marks the date when I arrived at Heathrow Airport with two bags to start living on my own for the very first time.
This other one is my compass, it allows me to hug my family every now and then and see how they are coping with being immigrants in a strange country where it snows a lot.
To tell you the truth I'm not sure which place to call home, or where I'll grow old, but maybe if I keep collecting stamps and visas I will eventually find my place in the world."
An interview with the author
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I am Colombian, I work as a producer at the 91Èȱ¬ World Service, at the Spanish Americas Section. I'm 27 years old and have been living in London for more than three years.
What's your story about?
About how, as an immigrant, you can tell who you are, where you've been, what you love and what it means to be born in a certain country just by looking at old passports and stamps.
Why did you choose to tell this particular story?
Because I think identity and personality are sometimes revealed through the smallest material things. A stamp or document can tell you a story. Also, because for me, my passport is the key to other parts of the world and I keep it very safe!
What did you find most rewarding about the workshop?
That I've always been able to tell stories through words but not through images, and the staff at Capture Wales have been very helpful at making me think more 'visually' than 'literally'. I also love to have a story to tell and show about me in my hands!!
