Little Homelands of Diversity
Maro Kouri
Athens has become one of Europe’s main entry points for migrants, transforming neighbourhoods and reshaping the city’s social fabric. In Little Homelands of Diversity and Places of Prayers, Maro Kouri documents the daily lives of migrant communities since the early 2000s, exploring their struggles and the ways they maintain ties to their countries of origin. Her photographs focus on downtown districts where foreign-born residents make up more than half the population, revealing an urban environment where multiple cultures coexist.
Kouri captures moments inside places of worship, family gatherings, and community celebrations, portraying Athens as a city where diverse identities meet, overlap, and adapt to one another.
“Where our parents, in the 1970s and ’80s, once closed their shops and took us out at night for dinner with guitars and bouzouki, today the old shops, taverns, industrial spaces, and warehouses pulse with life as places of prayer, and the streets overflow with gospel bands, Ethiopian choirs, Muslim prayers, and Hindu hymns — the faithful gathering in spontaneous, sacred moments,” Kouri says.
Where apartment blocks once housed migrants from rural Greece, today families from Africa, Asia, and the former Eastern Bloc have made these buildings their homes. The Greek author Antonis Samarakis, who once wrote “rooftops were never so close and hearts never so far apart,” might smile today seeing African families celebrating together, for example, a baby’s first bath.
Joy from within$1,800
Sacred Innocence$1,000
A Father’s Music, a Son’s Embrace$1,000
Qur'an Lessons Underground$1,800
Ashura in Piraeus$1,000
Public Prayers in Protest$1,000
A Dreamer $1,000
Mother & Father Tattoos: A Taste of Home$1,000
Evros Greek-Turkish Borders: The Mourning Mufti$1,000
Awe$1,000
Fatherhood$1,000
Deep Gospel, Deeper Forgiveness$1,000
Raise yourself so high that even God asks your wish — Muhammad Iqbal$1,000
An Athens of Many Voices$1,000
Ethiopian chants lift the soul$1,800
How can you give love if you’ve never received it? $1,000
In a father’s arms, the world feels safe$1,000
Morning Rituals in Athens’ Chinatown$1,000
Prayer Beyond Pain$1,000
Waiting for the Sunday Liturgy to pray, sing, dance, and celebrate$1,000
Swedish Traditions in the Heart of Athens$1,000
The Ethiopian Community: Athens’ Oldest and Strongest$1,000
Trust Across Borders$1,000
Togetherness$1,000
Blessing$1,000
Watch Over the Child: Defend Them. If the Child Survives, there is Hope$1,000
Maro Kouri is a Greek documentary photojournalist specializing in social issues, refugee crises, and human rights. Trained under Konstantinos Manos (Magnum) and Ed Kashi (National Geographic), her work has appeared in National Geographic, BBC, Der Spiegel, Newsweek, CNN, and Huffington Post. She has photographed Nelson Mandela, Umberto Eco, Philip Glass, David Bowie, and Cesária Évora. Accredited in Nonviolent Communication and as a 4D Dream Coach, she facilitates workshops, therapeutic projects, and photojournalism assignments worldwide. Awards include UNESCO Honor, PX3 Gold Medal, SCOOP 1st International Photojournalism, and ND Awards Honorable Mention.