Biography:
Giovanni Lo Curto, was born in Palermo in 1983. He is a photojournalist and photographer based in between Germany, Cuba, Greece and Italy. In 2018, he has been selected to study with the VII photo agency in their Warsaw-based Masterclass. His work...
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Focus:Photographer, Photojournalist, Journalist, Writer, Politics, Travel, Sports, Still Life, Fashion, Environment, Architecture, Photo Assistant, Documentary, Multimedia, Photo Editor, Photography, Foreign, Portraiture, Events, Director of Photography, International News, Journalist Investigative, Freelance, Editorial Page, Humanitarian, Life, Impact, Assignments
20.09.2019. Mazara del Vallo, Italy. Ouiam El Mrieh, 18 year old, studies at the linguistic institute and at the Conservatory. She classified second place at Sanremo Young talent show 2018.
21.04.2019. Comiso, Italy. Tanu during a break of the Visakhi ceremony. She finished school this year and now she does seasonal work and learns English at home.
Neela, fantasy name, at Gurupurab ceremony that celebrate Guru Nanak Dev ji founder and prophet of the Sikh religion birthdays. This year the Sikh community in Catania celebrate the 550 birthday of their prophet. Catania 2019.
18.09.2019. Mazara del Vallo, Italy. Muhammad, 25 years old, lives in Italy since 8 years and has a son and a wife in Marocco. He repairs fishnets. He loves to fish. He says:" Fishing gets many tough thoughts out of the way, it relax me".
One of the dancer of the Christian Tamil community during Sant'Agata, Catania's patron Saint, procession which the Tamil church celebrate in October instead of February when the big celebration for the saints take place. Italy 2019.
18.09.2019. Mazara del Vallo, Italy. Sabrina, 18 years old, volunteering at the election office for the 2019 Tunisian political election. She decided to work as beautician after the professional school she want to attend.
Alejandro Fernandez, 41 años, con unos de sus Buchones. Regidor de casa particular y es socio desde 1999, aunque desde niño criaba palomas con su padre. Posee 112 palomas mensajeres y varios Buchones. Cienfuegos, Cuba 2017. Alejandro Fernandez, 41 years old, with one of his Buchones. He works in a "Casa particular" , Cuban B&B, associate since 1999, he has been flying pigeons since his childhood with his father. He owns 112 pigeons. Cienfuegos, Cuba 2017.
Carlo Alberto Toranzo Diego, 55 años, con paloma mensajera. delegado de Santa Clara socio desde 34 años, tiene 160 palomas con su socio "el Gordo". Ganaron 47 premios. Santa Clara, Cuba 2017. Carlo Alberto Toranzo Diego, 55 years old, with his 47 times awarded Pigeon. Deputy of the Santa Clara association and member for 34 years. He owns 160 pigeons with his partner "el Gordo". Santa Clara, Cuba 2017.
Ramon Diaz Castiñeyra, el gordo, 52 años, con paloma mensajeras 3 veces galeria de la fama, socio desde el 1990 tiene 160 palomas con su socio Toranzo. Santa Clara, Cuba 2017. Ramon Diaz Castiñeyra, "el gordo", 52 years old, with his three times awarded Pigeon in the Fame Gallery, title conferred to the most awarded pigeon in the year. Associate since 1990. He owns 160 pigeons with his partner Toranzo. Santa Clara, Cuba 2017.
Juan Miguel Gomez, 47 años, con paloma mensajera. Ganó el campeonado de pichones con primera pichona, primer equipo y primer designado. Mecanico y en las palomas desde los 18 años. Tiene 70 palomas. Santa Clara, Cuba 2017. Juan Miguel Gomez, 47 years old, with squab awarded first place in squab championship. Car Mechanic and Fancier since he was 18 years old. He owns 70 pigeons. Santa Clara, Cuba 2017.
Roberto RuÃz, 56 años, y reproductora criolla subcampeóna medio fondo . Cobrador de peaje y desde 30 años en la asociacción. Entrena a 100 palomas. Matanzas, Cuba 2017. Roberto RuÃz, 56 years old, with his Breeding criollo pigeon, sub-champion middle-distance race. Tollman and associate since 30 years. He owns 100 pigeons. Matanzas, Cuba 2017.
Javier Blanco Santos, 28 años, paloma mensajera, segunda en medio fondo moa 550 km. Cuenta propista socio desde 2008 tiene 60 palomas. Santa Clara, Cuba 2017. Javier Blanco Santos, 28 years old, with pigeon, second place in Moa 550 km. Free Lancer and member since 2008. He owns 60 pigeons. Santa Clara, Cuba 2017.
Randy Hernandez Marin, 28 años, paloma mensajera segunda plaza medio fondo descendiente belga. agricultor y socio desde 12 años, tiene 100 palomas. Santa Clara, Cuba 2017. Randy Hernandez Marin, 28 years old, with his pigeon from the Belgium breeding line which classified second place in the middle-distance race. Farmer and Fancier since he was 12 years old. He owns 100 pigeons. Santa Clara, Cuba 2017.
Sivan, 17, before training with the Lavrio football team where he plays as a goalkeeper. He has been in Greece since February 2019. He travelled alone from Syria, tired of the war. He spent around 4000$ to arrive in Greece and he hopes to reunite with his family in Vienna. Lavrio Greece 2020.
Arkan, 58, is called the "Mamuhasta", the Professor. In 2018 he was sentenced to eleven years prison for political manifestation. He exiles to Greece in November 2019. The Professor, back in his youth when he was an engineer in Izmir, was faced by the Turkish government with jail time if he didn’t silence his voice. However, he decided to go back to Kurdistan and enrolled in HEP to keep doing politics legally for 23 years by now. The professor, a rather silent and meditative person in reality, is a river of political and democratic thought. He often goes to Athens or to swim to clear his mind. He, as many other interviewed people, asks himself why the EU and Germany, considered the real power in Europe, block them in Greece and don’t do more for the democratic struggle of Kurdish people. Lavrio, Greece 2020.
Mustafa has lived in Greece since October 2019 when he left Turkey after losing his job as a nurse and because he faced a seven years prison sentence. He helps in the camp with the health problems. He totally coped with the quarantine. "It is for our own good, even if social distancing is impossible and there is totally nothing to do in the camp, we have to manage it". Lavrio Greece 2020.
Jusef Khala, 51, is named Uncle in the camp. He is a member of HDP and he was in prison for two years and tortured. He was going to be sentenced to 15 years for his political activism so he exiled himself in Greece where he's been living for 6 month. He is religious and he misses his six children: two girls and four boys. Lavrio, Greece 2020.
Hasan, 55, has lived thirty years in Greece, twenty of them in Lavrio camp. He was a farmer in Turkey and had to leave for political reasons. Since he has no family he remains in the camp. Greece 2020.
Zaria, 6 months old, with her parents Mustafa and Marvin. Zaria is a kind of miracle for her parents, a former car seller and a housewife, who fled Iran because of political problems. They tried to have a child for 16 years, after five months in Greece she got pregnant. This is their second year in Lavrio. He is in charge of the goods deposit. It is very busy work that needs lots of effort and organization since the scarcity of items. They are now happy. They say " We really think that feeling secure in the camp helped us to relax and have a child." They had a very difficult journey. They were arrested 3 times in the attempt to cross the river. They were beaten twice and stripped naked, their belongings were burned, so they waited for another chance in a Turkish forest eleven days naked with little food and water before they succeeded. For security reasons they choose to don't show their faces and have their name changed. I direct them in order to have them as close as possible.
Matin arrived together with his cousin, Suran five months ago. He left for political reasons. The trip to Greece lasted five months and cost 3300$. In the attempt he was arrested six times and sent back to Turkey. The last one, the car of the smuggler, manages to arrive 50 km to Thessaloniki where he crashed while being chased by the police. This time the police were not able to bring them back to Turkey. He does some shifts in a cafè and works as a translator in the camp for NGOS and Hospital duties. Lavrio, Greece 2020.
Rawan, 22, travelled with her sister Wahid to Greece where they arrived six months ago after living six years as refugees in Turkey. She hopes to go to Germany where her family lives and enroll in school for 7th grade class. Lavrio, Greece 2020.
48 years old Abdalkarim with his daughter Duniyaht, five years old, after the daily wood collection. He doesn't like to cut down the olive trees because he has too much respect for this sacred tree. He then have to walk far away in the mountains around the camp to recollect and cut just the small branches of the trees and other plants. All around Moria camp olive trees have been fell down to bake bread, cook and keep people warm at night. With him are also his son Muhammed, 12 years old, and his wife Soukra, 30 years old. They have got the blue stamp on their documents that allows them to travel to Athens since October 2019. They still were not able to leave because of the Greek government travel blockade. Lesbos, Greece 2020.
Maria, 22, from Afghanistan, lived with her family for 15 years as a refugee in Iran. The harsh Iranian economic crisis forced them to flee to Greece where they arrived in June 2019. Together with her Husband Mirwaz, 26, and her parents, she has been running a Bakery for four months where they prepare 50 to 60 breads a day. They all want to go to Switzerland or Germany. Lesbos, Greece 2020.
Starboy, a 40 years old ex-boxer, comes from Nigeria. He assures that he has been in the camp since 2016, a total of four years. He was for a long period in prison because he managed to escape to Athens but was caught without documents. He also assures that for these reasons he doesn't get any money from the Greek state and his chances of asylum are really poor. He feel stocked in Greece. Lesbos, Greece 2020
Ahat Rahimi, 35, with his daughters Atifa, 12 and Nazanin, 10, in front of their shed. They travelled five months from Afghanistan before they reach Greece three months ago. They want to go to Sweden but in the meanwhile, like many others, they started to transform their shed into a proper home. They built a stone-pave to avoid mud to come inside and to guaranty a better soil drainage and stability during rain season. They also closed with a fence a small part of land around their shed as a form of protection. Lesbos, Greece 2020
Reza, 36, a refugee from Afghanistan and his family: Leila, 30; Sam, 8; Daniel, 4, in their self-build shed in the jungle of Moria. They have been in Moria camp since November 2019 and they were one year in Turkey before they managed to cross the sea to Lesbos. The long journey from Afghanistan was full of dangers, they get shot at several times by border police and escape injuries and arrest, luckily, all the times. They are headed to Germany, Sweden or England where Leila relatives are. The dream would be the USA but is very far away. Lesbos, Greece 2020.
A former Afghan police Coronel Munawarschan Delawari, 56, poses with his wife Asmah, 40. The big olive tree that once shed their shack was chopped down from other inhabitants of the camp. They are both very sad about their loss. They arrived one month ago with their young daughter. Lesbos, Greece 2020.
Munib 18, from Deir-er-Zor in Syria, carries a big branch. He is in the jungle since two and half month and want to get to Germany where his brother lives. Lesbos, Greece 2020