„A Journey into the Unknown“ tells the story of a Roma family, that returns to Macedonia after eight months in Germany.

Jonas Opperskalski accompanied them on their journey into the unknown and learnt to know their permanent fellow traveller: discrimination.

A journey through the year with laif

We have summarized the year for you in a personal review of the year and we would like to invite you to look back on the highlights in 2012 before we look ahead to the future with renewed strength.

Many families have shared the fate of the Berishas, who fled to Germany during the upheaval of war in the former Yugoslavia. They were allowed to stay a few years, but were deported to Kosovo in 2008. Most of these refugees cannot identify with the newly formed countries which used to comprise their homeland. Their children can hardly speak the language and have no social environment. Hannes Jung documents this in his moving photographs.

We have put together a slideshow about the year 2011 for you. It was a very eventful year. Take a look for yourself.

Since he was 18, Jon has been earning a living by travelling through Europe busking. He began his travels in a truck, until this became too fast for him. Then he switched to a tractor and trailer, until this became too loud for him. In 2005 he changed his mode of transport again - this time to horses. Since then, Jon, who was born in Manchester, UK, enjoys life at a slower pace with his wife and daughter, who all live in a cart that Jon built.

At the 2009 NATO summit in Strassbourg, several police and demonstrators were injured when rioting broke out. In total, 16,000 people demonstrated peacefully against the NATO summit, more than 6,000 on the German side of the border. According to police estimates, there were 1,000 violent demonstrators who were kept in check by 25,000 riot police. Gordon Welters experienced the event up close.