The special objects young immigrants hold close to their hearts

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SAMIRA (SOMALIA) "The dress I wear is traditional in my country and represents my culture. It is worn on important occasions, such as weddings or festivals. The groom must give the family of the bride 100 camels. In my country the camel is very important; we also drink its milk. They are the most beautiful animals in the world and those most common in Somalia. That is why I chose this statue. © Vivian Olmi Vivian Olmi

ABED REZA (AFGHANISTAN) "Apart from God, all I have in the world is my mother. I love my mother very much. I love you like all mothers who are in heaven. My sweet mother of my heart, you came to earth. Your name is always on everyone's lips. Your love is always in our hearts. Mother, you are the only peace in my heart, I do not forget your love, your words. Since I no longer see you, I am broken. Life is dead, the light in my heart is extinguished. I love you very much, enormously. When I think of my mother, I cry. Never forget the importance of your mother and father." © Vivian Olmi Vivian Olmi

AJZEN (MACEDONIA) "This scarf is very important to me because it is the first scarf that my grandmother gave me. When I put it on, it makes me happy because I remember my life before." © Vivian Olmi Vivian Olmi

WANDERSON (BRAZIL) "I chose my little zebra because it represents a lot for me. My grandfather gave it to me when I was two years old, I went through a lot with him without ever losing him." © Vivian Olmi Vivian Olmi

SHAHMOHAMAD (AFGHANISTAN) "The aim of this photo with the woman is to show that there is a similarity between a motherland and a mother. A mother wants good for us. It is the same with a country, because it takes care of the security of its citizens, protects them, both day and night. The state also ensures that everyone goes to school, to university. It should facilitate access to education. In the second photo with the man, I wanted to represent the equality of the sexes that there should be in my country, Afghanistan. But also to show that in the Afghan police, women and men work together." © Vivian Olmi Vivian Olmi

HESTAN (SYRIA) "This photo reminds me of when I was little, and when I went to school for the first time. It also reminds me of Syria, my friends and my aunt. I love this picture because it is the symbol of my life before." © Vivian Olmi Vivian Olmi

SAMSON (ERITREA) "I love my grandfather because I grew up with him. The love I have for him is very important in my life. Even when I stayed all day with my grandfather, I never got bored. He was so kind that the memory of him makes me very sad. I miss him a lot." © Vivian Olmi Vivian Olmi

AMADOU (GUINEA) "I chose to show this ring because it was my mother's, and that's the only memory I have of her. It reminds me of her, and I care for her more than anything." © Vivian Olmi Vivian Olmi

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A Chilean photographer who came to Switzerland as a young woman has used her experience of starting a new life far from home to portray the modern face of young migrants.

Born in Chile in 1960, photographer Vivian Olmi has lived in Switzerland since 1980. She lives and works today in Pully, canton Vaud. At the age of 20, Olmi left Chile while the country was under the dictatorship of Pinochet.

In memory of her country and family, Olmi brought with her a photo album depicting a Chilean landscape on the cover. The memory of her own migration to Switzerland prompted her to document people with similar experiences.

She asked 38 young immigrant students of the Béthusy college in Lausanne to pose in front of a blackboard with an object from their country of origin which they held close to their hearts. Those students who did not have a personal souvenir to document brought something which illustrated how they felt about their own migration. Each student wrote a text in their mother tongue explaining their keepsake.

Olmi intentionally portrayed the students in an educational setting, as she felt school plays an important part in the integration of young people into Swiss society. 

“The classroom is a benevolent and safe space. I asked everyone to face the camera because I did not want to adopt a position of ‘voyeur’ but to establish with my models a real dialogue as equals,” she explained.

“By making these portraits, I wanted to give these teenagers a way to express themselves, because they have a lot to say about what they have experienced”.