SARKA VANCUROVA
photo reporter, documentary and portrait photographer
Invisible scars of Kevinna
-work in progress -
"Report from the inside of a close black African community. Focusing on the consequences of living between gun violence
through the story of Kevinna , single mother, accomodated in the social housing project, where weapon violence occurs regularly"
Photographic insight into the gun violent community intimate look into the lives of young single mothers( Kevinna, Shamiqua and Toyia ) living and raising up their children in one of the most gun violent community - social housing project Mc Dougald Terrace in Durham.
Gang violence is very present and it comes to this community always from the outside. As a result of the police negligence and their fear , homicides are hardly reported and the murder poorly investigated. Residents call the neighbourhood "Young graveyard" as many innocent children have been shot here.
Violence basically affects the behaviour and mental health of the children and their mothers, and penetrates slowly inside them. Some of the mothers already lost their children because of the gunfire in McDougald Terrace and now trying to survive the pain that the death carries. Unfortunately, they cope with it by often falling into addiction and mental instability.. Children are distracted from school, sometimes aggressive in their reactions, transferred to school for troubled children, and in later stage of the their life some join the gang because of the lack of future opportunities.
(by clicking on the picture, gallery opens in separate window)
Kevinna Bell (33) was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. When she was 10 years old, she moved to Durham with her mum and stepfather. She moved to Mc Dougald Terrace social housing just about a year ago from Burlington when she separated from her boyfriend.
Kevinna spends lot of time in her sleeping room. She is a single mom who hardly go out around her neighbourhood fearing some bad accident of the gun violence could happen. Even though her apartment is situated in the less dangerous part of “Terrace”, shooting sometimes occurs just three houses away from her apartment.
I start to get to know Maria, single mum of four children. She says she always stays inside the house. because outside is it a drama.
Kevinna Bell (33) was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. When she was 10 years old, she moved to Durham with her mum and stepfather. She moved to Mc Dougald Terrace social housing just about a year ago from Burlington when she separated from her boyfriend.