When Jennifer Sakai's grandmother died in 2002, the young woman inherited a small ring, a kimono that her grandmother wore as a child for special occasions and a box containing family photos. Inside, some of the images were familiar. Others, much less so. They showed daily life in the Poston internment camp in Arizona, where her entire family of Japanese descent had been deported at the end of the Second World War.

For years, Jennifer Sakai opened and closed this box, indecisive, before making it the heart of a project entitled "When We Return Home," for which she was co-winner of the 2024 Prix Virginia, awarded to women photographers.

In 1942, the artist's grandparents, Jack and Mary, along with her four great-uncles and one great-aunt, had just a few days to gather their belongings, abandoning their former life forever – a large California farm where they grew fruit. Considered enemies from within during the global conflict because of their Japanese origins – despite having been born in the US – the Sakais were locked up in an isolated camp in the middle of the desert. A total of 120,000 people, two-thirds of them American citizens, were deported to the 10 camps scattered across the country.

Barracks in poor conditions

The Sakais lived at Poston for three long years (the camp closed in 1945), in barracks with very poor conditions, no heating and no privacy. "What happened to my family 75 years ago can happen to others, who are victims of prejudice, racism and fear of the other," emphasized the photographer, who sees her work as a cautionary tale for the present day.

You have 51.54% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.