Mirhatam Safi was 17 when he left Afghanistan. That was after the Taliban had repeatedly tried to recruit him. They first came for him when he was 15. “When I refused, they tortured me and broke my leg,” he says. “Staying was not an option.”
Now, Safi lives alone in Lubbeek, Belgium, having left his family behind. “I’m in school in a class with other refugees,” he says. “I now understand the true meaning of education. One day I hope to be a doctor.”
Thousands of refugees have come to Europe in recent months and years, escaping war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, each with his or her own story. Safi’s is one such story published in Europa, a new book developed by Magnum photographer Thomas Dworzak with the help of various organizations such as Cortona on the Move and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture and the leadership of Jessica Murray and the Al-liquindoi organization. Europa isn’t a photobook; it’s an “illustrated introduction to Europe for migrants and refugees” written in four languages — French, English, Farsi and Arabic and available at no charge to NGOs, refugees and migrants. The book brings together facts about Europe’s history, especially its migratory past, with current information about how European countries welcome refugees and migrants.
“When I was documenting the refugee crisis myself and talked to refugees, all they had were questions,” Dworzak tells TIME. “They didn’t ask for money. They asked questions; lots of…