Title: Via PanAm
By: Kadir van Lohuizen
Publisher: Paradox / Ydoc Publishing
In Via PanAm, Kadir van Lohuizen investigates the roots of migration in the Americas. By seeking answers to questions such as ‘Why do people migrate? Where to and for what reasons? What is the fate of the different indigenous populations in the Americas?’ Van Lohuizen taps into a phenomenon which is as old as humanity but is increasingly portrayed as a new threat to the Western world.
Travelling 40,000 km along the Pan-American Highway and crossing through 15 countries, Van Lohuizen visualised the stories of the communities, regions and societies he encountered. With Via PanAm, he wants to shed a light on this ‘forgotten’ region, and create a better understanding of the phenomenon of migration. In his own engaged and compelling way, he does this by focusing on the people involved. Their stories show their strength and their vulnerability, the variety of motivations they have, the roads they travel and the (often informal) infrastructures they enter into.
After the innovative multi-media iPad app and a traveling exhibition, Van Lohuizen’s work is now compiled into a book. This unique publication takes the reader along through the changing landscapes of the countries he travelled and zooms in on the lives of the people he encountered. The book also includes an essay by acclaimed Colombian writer Juan Gabriel Vásquez.