Back in 2019 I documented the life of Samara Velásquez, a girl with Zika-related microcephaly in Cali, Colombia. This condition causes her to have a 97% disability, forcing her to cope with delayed physical and neurological development, severe spasticity, lack of musculature, and other symptoms. Now at 7 years old, her family continues to strive to provide her with a dignified life despite a condition that will last throughout Samara's existence. I'm opening a new chapter in this documentary project, by photographing their journey in Black and White Polaroids, in which the family intervened with drawings and scratchings to illustrate how they bring color to Samara's life. This is more than a story about a girl and her mother Eliana, her sister Briana and her father Jean Paul: it's a project that points to a pandemic that provoked more than 2,400 cases of congenital syndrome in Latin America in 2016. This event is almost forgotten by the media and public health system throughout the continent, so Samara's piece of life is a reminder that we cannot leave these families unattended. I call this project: 'Samara, a Zika's daughter'.
