Photojournalist Darrin Zammit Lupi lived and worked in Malta but assumed he would need to travel to far-flung locations to witness the big stories of his time. Then the refugee crisis unfolded in his backyard with well over one million migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to escape violence and poverty.
Lupi began photographing them: the arrivals, the shipwrecks and tragically, the fatalities. As the death toll rose and Lupi became more and more personally involved in rescues and recoveries, he realized he wanted to be a humanitarian first and a photojournalist second.
Host Frank Stasio talks with photodocumentarian Darrin Zammit Lupi about how his work and perspective on the refugee crisis has evolved. Lupi’s work will be on display at Duke’s Perkins Library through Dec. 2017. He also speaks following a film presentation at the Smith Warehouse at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2.
