Peace Caravan Project: Journey along the Silk Road: Xinjiang Province, China

My Peace Caravan Project: Journey along the Silk Road: Xinjiang Province, China is a series of photographs from my solo journey along the Silk Road and other ancient trade routes. These images are of Uyghur Muslims, an indigenous Islamic people, whose way of life has not changed for two centuries. Millions of these Uyghur muslim minority people have been detained in the northwest and forced into Re-Education Camps," where accounts of torture and political indoctrination have recently emerged. Dating back to 2009, the Chinese Government initiated a campaign of Uyghur destruction, bulldozing the Old City of Kashgar, threatening their traditional ways of life. These images act as a cultural ambassador for communities whose voices remain unheard. As an artist and educator, I am interested in connecting with these people to communicate cultural acceptance, respect and understanding and to end the fear of those that are different from ourselves, so a new way to Peace is revealed.