NATHAN VAZ
Home Away from Home
Nine thousand and sixty-two kilometres.
That is the distance that Sami El-Sibaey travelled when he immigrated to Toronto from Aleppo, Syria in 2002.
At the age of 17, El-Sibaey selected a school in Toronto over a school in the U.S. to pursue his education.
“When I moved, it was right after the attacks on Sept. 11. I had a couple of acceptances from schools in the States, but I was told by many of my friends that it wasn’t a good time to be travelling as a Muslim or an Arab in any part of the United States, so I moved to Toronto instead,” El-Sibaey says.
Although El-Sibaey’s route to becoming a Torontonian was by chance, Canada’s reputation as a peaceful nation open to diversity informed his decision.
“What’s nice about Toronto and Canada in general is that I never felt like I was the only stranger. I got homesick a lot, but because everyone looked like they were from somewhere else as well I never really felt out of place here - I was never an outlier,” El-Sibaey says.
“It’s definitely home now.”
Toronto is home to thousands of immigrants just like El-Sibaey – each having their own unique experiences and stories. In 2013, 33-year-old photographer, Colin Boyd Shafer set out on a yearlong journey to capture photographs of some of these immigrants who now call Toronto home.
He calls his project, Cosmopolis Toronto.
A cosmopolis is defined as a city inhabited by people from many different countries.
“Toronto is a perfect example of that,” Shafer says.
“It’s a collection of stories of migration from people who have come from all over the world that have now found home in Toronto.”
Shafer was able to find and photograph immigrants from 195 different nations living in Toronto. Bangladesh, Japan, Macedonia and Ukraine were just a few of the homelands of his subjects.
For each individual participating in the project, two photographs along with a short story were created. In the first photograph, the subject was captured in a setting where they felt at home, within Toronto. The second photograph was taken of the subject holding an item that connected them to their birthplace. With these photographs, Shafer would then sit down with the individuals and write their stories of immigration.
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“I think the photographs do an amazing job at representing the mesh of a variety of cultures that make the beautiful city of Toronto,” Mahnoor Awan, vice president of the University of Toronto Mississauga’s multicultural club says.
“The photographs make you feel part of a huge community that allows you to be who you are and still feel at home,” Awan says.
Shafer explains that the goal of the project is to physically show diversity through visuals – something he says, not many people have been able to do.
“[Toronto’s diversity] It’s more than different foods and different colours. It’s something special. It’s something to be appreciated. I honestly believe Toronto wouldn’t be the same without it,” Shafer says.
Through Facebook messages, word of mouth, and even going to Yonge-Dundas Square holding signs listing nationalities needed, Shafer was able to find many of his future subjects. Understandably, some people from larger nations were easier to find, but Shafer was persistent in finding people from smaller nations, as well.
“When you travel a lot, you realize how many people around the world think that diversity is not something to be championed. They think that turning inward and connecting only with your particular nation, tribe or group is the only way. Toronto is a nice example to show that this [diversity] is actually working,” Shafer says.
Django Keita, a member of the Ontario government’s inclusive education branch believes that diversity is important to Toronto’s identity.
“It is important that the government be reflective of the society that we live in. Toronto is very diverse as a city. When we go out – we see black, we see yellow, and we see white. You look around and can see yourself everywhere,” Keita says.
Keita says that through diversity Toronto’s growth as one of North America’s largest cities can only be constructive.
“In Toronto we have a proud sense of being a world class city because of our diversity. It’s the envy of the world. If you go to Russia or another country with no diversity, you can see them struggle. The more diverse we are, the stronger we become and the more successful we will be,” Keita says.
As for Shafer and Cosmopolis Toronto, immigrants are not the only people he hopes to attract when interpreting his photographs.
“Hopefully it’s some random 40 year old white Canadian that says, ‘maybe I’m not so disconnected from these people.’”
Shafer’s work is on display as different exhibitions through various Toronto libraries. For more information about Shafer and the Cosmopolis Toronto project, visit www.cosmopolistoronto.com.
