Project “People of Our Earth”

Our website grows along with our project. It is currently still under construction and will be expanded step by step.

Encounter creates understanding.

At a glance

Getting to know unfamiliar people and hearing their perspectives can help build connections and improve understanding.

The Idea

Racism and xenophobia often arise when people do not know one another. A lack of knowledge can foster uncertainty, prejudice and rejection. Through authentic insights into different ways of life, the “People of Our Earth” project creates opportunities for encounters that reduce prejudice and promote mutual understanding.

Project members travel to meet people in different regions of the world and get to know them in their everyday surroundings. Each person featured tells their own story, shares a formative experience or expresses a personal message.

Photographs, stories and recordings of people speaking in their own voices offer a direct insight into their lives. Together, they create personal portraits that enable encounters, highlight common ground and invite us to question familiar assumptions about “others”.

Objectives

• Reduce prejudice
• Counter racism and exclusion
• Promote understanding and mutual respect
• Highlight common ground
• Contribute to understanding between peoples and peaceful coexistence

Implementation

Photography Book

The first high-quality photography book will feature around 40 individuals in German and English. Each person will be portrayed through two photographs, a brief introduction and their story translated into German and English. A QR code will allow readers to listen to each person’s story in their own voice and original language.

Multimedia Touring Exhibitions

A selection of the portraits will be presented in international multimedia touring exhibitions based on the concept of the photography book. Photographs, texts and recordings of the people’s own voices will offer a direct encounter with those portrayed.

Film Recordings

Short films may also be produced to show people in their everyday surroundings and give viewers a direct sense of their personalities.

Educational Activities for Schools, Libraries and Other Institutions

The project will also be presented in schools and other interested institutions, where it can be used in lessons, on project days or as part of events.

Initiator

My name is Hartmut Hufeld. The idea grew out of the increasing xenophobia I observed in my own environment, combined with my experiences traveling the world and my love for photography. As a speech therapist, I noticed that the German word for a foreigner has taken on an increasingly negative connotatio — a paradoxical development, given the ongoing process of globalization.

At the same time, I have seen how quickly borders lose their significance when people talk to one another and get to know each other.

Invitation to Participate

“People of Our Earth” is conceived as an international, long-term project designed for continuous growth.

We are looking for protagonists, partners, supporters, and sponsors who wish to help make people visible, facilitate encounters, counter prejudices with personal stories, and support the project in any way possible.

Become a part of “People of Our Earth.”