The surprise-filled and moving encounters between Niko and members of the African diaspora in the villages of Thrace took place through his own artistic practice and the sketches he made in his notebook were filmed for days by Døcumatism. Approaching people in the villages in a friendly manner, Niko politely asked whether he could draw their portraits. This “icebreaker” immediately created a space for conversation around facial features and skin colour and, subsequently, led to discussions and filmed interviews about national identity and the sense of belonging.
The centuries-long presence of Greeks of African descent in Thrace becomes a living example and a valuable testimony to the presence of the African diaspora in Greece, while raising important questions about the isolation and exclusion of social groups based on colour, religion, and origin.
