Unsung Heroes
The unheard stories of women migrants.
Interactive Installation
University of Malta, Quadrangle
Moira Agius
Ed. by Alessandro Tessei
Exhibited as part of ‘Connect’, curated by Dr. Vince Briffa, at
Dusseldorf, May 2017
Leevwarden, May 2017
Villa Claudia, Feldkirch, Austria
Exhibited as part of ‘Rima: To be Defined’ , curated by Virginia Monteforte, at
St James Cavalier, Malta, March 2019
While some may be fleeing conflict or poverty, others are trying to escape oppressive cultural systems and the lack of equal opportunities. This installation puts into the limelight the female face of migration: a face that is embodied by hope, strength, determination and self-reliance. These persons faced a series of challenges which include psychosocial stress and trauma, physical harm and abuse, and risk of exploitation not only before they decided to escape their hometown but also during their escaping crossings.
‘Unsung Heroes’ empowers women migrants by documenting few of the inhumane accounts that women undergo whilst on their journey to a better place. In fact, the documentary videos give migrants an opportunity to explore their inner freedom by publically liberating the cause of their psychological boundaries. Moreover, in the process of tackling boundaries between humanizing and dehumanizing beings, our only hope is that we, as individuals, would surpass cognitive dissonance and rejection, and opt for rationalizing before we find ourselves comfortably judging others.
The empty repositories reflect the number of women migrants who for some reason or another declined to speak to us. Whilst we respect their silence, we invite other women migrants who are willing to speak up to get in contact.
Conact: moiraagiusart@gmail.com 99009848