Image
Special project collection: Paths to Refuge
The Useful Village
Sumte, Lower Saxony, Germany
In the fall of 2015, Germany designated Sumte, population 102, as a sanctuary for nearly 800 refugees. What followed was a living experiment in the country’s principles.
You need an active subscription to view this content
You should really subscribe now!
Or login if you already have a subscription.
Issue: Spring 2017 / Volume 93/2
Published: April 3, 2017
Ben Mauk is a writer based in Berlin. He last wrote for the magazine about an indigenous rights movement in the Russian Caucasus. His VQR debut, “The Useful Village,” was a finalist for the 2018 National Magazine Award in Feature Writing.
Valerie Schmidt is a photographer whose work has been shown in many exhibitions in Europe and in the United States. She is based in Berlin and is a visiting professor for photography at the Hochschule Rhein-Waal in Kamp-Lintfort, Germany.
George Butler is an award-winning artist. In 2012, Butler walked into Syria, where as guest of the Free Syrian Army he drew war-damaged Azaz. This set him on a journey to demonstrate that illustration was equally valuable for recording current affairs in contrast to the news industry’s obsession with headlines...