In Via Panam photographer Kadir van Lohuizen takes you along his journey from southern Chile to northern Alaska.
Following the Pan-American Highway, he investigates contemporary migration in the Americas. Through blogs, photo reports, video and audio, the app shows the variety of motivations migrants have, the roads they travel, and the (often informal) infrastructures they enter into.
Wilmer Arias (38),in front, from Honduras is crossing the Suchiate river, the border between Guatemala and Mexico. Wilmer is on his way to Canada. He used to live there before he was deported, his two children still live there and he will try to visit them For Central American migrants Mexico is the first real obstacle. Mexico nowadays rehire visas for most and under pressure, has stepped up their border control.
A langouste diver in front of Carti Cohabita. This island has to evacuate August 2012. Kuna Yala (San Blas) consists of a long narrow strip of land and an archipelago of 365 islands, of which 36 are inhabited. Due to the rising of the sea level the Kuna's have to evacuate to the mainland; the islands become to dangerous to live on. August 2012 the first four islands will be evacuated. It’s the teritorium of the Kuna indigenous who have an autonomy they fought for in 1925.
Norberto Hernandez (52) and his wife Olga have been exiled to the island Sucunguadup, which they heightened themselves using coral. They live on the island with their nine grandchildren and child. They have three children of which one lives with them. Kuna Yala (San Blas) consists of a long narrow strip of land and an archipelago of 365 islands, of which 36 are inhabited. Due to the rising of the sea level the Kuna's have to evacuate to the mainland; the islands become to dangerous to live on. August 2012 the first four islands will be evacuated.
Family members great a relative who has been deported by the US. A special section of Guatemala airport has been set up as a reception center for Guatemalans who get deported from the USA, every day 1-2 flights arrive from the US. The people who arrive get a sandwich, a drink, a phone call back home, there record is being checked and they can get legal advise if needed.
Jim and Teena Helmerick live very remote in the delta of the Colville river, right on the Arctic sea. Jim was born in Colorado, but came to Alaska when he was 8 years old. In the 50's his father Bud and his mother Marther established a commercial fishing operation where they supplied villages on the northern slope with fish.
An early winter morning in the Yakima valley.
The Salar de Uyuni is the biggest salt lake in the world. The salt layer is at least 130 meters thick. Recently the biggest lithium reserves of the world were found in the salt layer, which could be very promising for Bolivia's future. In April Bolivia has started the pilot project at which 150 people work. In the near future when the plant will be in full production, hundreds of workers from all over the country will be employed.