Back of 1995 Refugee Magazine

Back of 1995 Refugee Magazine

This back cover of a 1995 issue of Refugees presents a playful, yet extremely poignant, political statement representing the ideas advocated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Lego toy figures crowd the space while leaving a single, frowning Lego figure (the refugee) isolated in the bottom right corner. The image is labeled “How Does it Feel?” and speaks to the condition of the alienated refugee. The proceeding text asks the reader to imagine life as a refugee: a peaceful life that is suddenly and violently uprooted. The page implores the reader to, unlike the Lego figures, not turn their back on this pressing humanitarian crisis. The use of Legos illustrates the UN’s solution to the refugee crisis in simple and touching ways.