Brave Rugby woman believed to be only journalist ever to board refugee 'death boat' to investigate

An exhibition of photographs taken by a Rugby-based journalist who travelled with Syrian refugees on the perilous boat journey between Turkey and Greece will be displayed for the first time in the UK.

The photographs were taken by award-winning Turkish photographer and journalist Guliz Vural and will be on show at Coventry Cathedral from Wednesday 10 November to Friday 12 November, as part of at this year’s RISING Global Peace Forum in Coventry.

Guliz, 41, will also speak about her experiences on the opening day of the forum, which is led by Coventry University’s Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations in partnership wit Coventry Cathedral and Coventry City Council.

Guliz moved to the UK from her native Turkey earlier this year under the Ankara Agreement to escape the suppression of opposition media by the Turkish authorities.

Her husband, who is also a journalist, and their teenage daughter settled in Rugby.

Titled Journey with Death Boat, the series of images were taken as she made the decision to join around 45 refugees who were piled onboard the 12-person inflatable dinghy as it made its way from Sivrice Bay in Turkey to the island of Lesbos in 2015.

Each of the migrants had paid 3,000 US Dollars for the passage and when the boat landed in Lesbos, Guliz was initially detained for five days suspected of being one of the traffickers.

Guliz, who was working for Nokta magazine in Turkey at the time of the crossing, said: “While all the journalists were looking at them from the shore, I thought I had to take part in these journeys myself.

"In order to describe them with photographs, it was necessary to be among them and to be one of them. I got on that boat because I am passionate about photography. But as a refugee, I could never get on that boat with my family.

“On that journey, which lasted a little more than an hour, I saw how brave people can be against death when they have nothing left to lose.

"They showed me how priceless some values are in life, such as peace and freedom.

"For them it was something to be paid for with death, if necessary.

“They were constantly praying on the boat, they had nothing with them but their faith. This feeling of desperation left a lasting impression on me.

“The fear of a journey into the unknown, which is likely to end in death, was on the faces of people, especially women and children. I tried to reflect this in my photos, and when the shores of Lesbos began to appear, the happiness of the children in particular was indescribable.”

“Unfortunately, these sea crossings continue and thousands of people drown in these crossings.

"The Aegean and Mediterranean seas have been turned into huge cemeteries, and the dead bodies of children and adults continue to wash up on the shores, while countries do not move a finger to stop these crossings and only act in line with their own interests.

“It is very meaningful to describe the journey of people fleeing war at the potential cost of their life, with my photographs, in an exhibition as part of the RISING Global Peace Forum which highlights the importance of peace.”

RISING brings together global leading politicians, policymakers, academics and community organisers to discuss and promote new ways to make and sustain peace, both in local communities and on an international level.

It highlights the extensive work undertaken at the university to create impact worldwide through its portfolio of research on peace and security.

Participation at the event is open to anyone of any background with an interest in creating peaceful communities.

The theme for this year is Leadership for Peace, with a full line-up of speakers from around the world that will include the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby; Sabir Zazai, Chief

Executive of Scottish Refugee Council who settled in Coventry after feeling Afghanistan 20 years ago, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell; and Lord Peter Ricketts, a retired senior British diplomat and the UK government’s first national security adviser from 2010 from 2012.

The programme will also include the annual Lord Mayor’s Peace Lecture, which will be given this year by Neville Staple, of 2Tone band The Specials, and his wife Sugary, a writer, producer and performer in her own right.

For more information about this free-to-attend event visit www.rising.org