Mary and Kate are preparing for another birthday party for a friend of theirs who is in the Mary Poppins shelter project. The house provided is just outside the town, more towards the countryside and is a spacious and quiet place to stay. Chivasso, July 2018.

Mary would like to open a beauty salon, she is saving up money to be able to attend a school vocational school that can prepare her and get her into the world of cosmetics. She loves doing braids and taking care of her nails. Chivasso, June 2018.

Mary and her roommates during a birthday party for their friend's daughter. I had never been to a birthday party of the Nigerian community before. It was an intense experience. Chivasso, May 2018.

Mary is 20 years old when she arrives in Italy, behind her there's a journey that has lasted forever, a life marked by sexual exploitation in Libya and a disease that this has caused her. She's suffering from chronic HBV hepatitis and needs regular check-ups and specialist visits. Chivasso, April 2018.

Mary shows signs of Libya on her body, of the exploitation she was subjected to and the voodoo ritual she underwent before leaving for Europe. She has a story no different from the thousands of other girls imprisoned in hot spots and forced into prostitution to pay off the debt contracted for the journey. A debt that strangles them and forces them to be trafficked. San Sebastiano da Po, May 2018.

Mary jealously preserves this photo. It's the only photo of her mum with her and her brother. Her mother unfortunately died when she was still a child and Mary grew up with her grandmother in a house outside the city. Chivasso, May 2018.

For Mary, religion is a very important and sensitive subject, we often discuss the fact that I'm an atheist, which she does not approve of at all. She is a Pentecostal Christian and lives her relationship with God with a very strong intimacy. She prays often, every day. When she lived in Nigeria she also sang in a church choir she attended. Chivasso, May 2018.

Mary and Kate in the Chivasso house as they fix their hair and get ready to leave. Chivasso, July 2018.

Mary spends hours on the phone chatting with her friends and contacts in Florence to which she is still very attached. Her best friend still lives and works in Florence and they talk if possible after work every day. In addition, her son still lives in Lagos with Queen, a close friend of hers who is looking after him and bringing him up and Mary calls him every day. Chivasso, May 2018.

Nigerian parties are a continuous dance, a continuous courtship, the participants are wild and the gestures are explicitly whispered. It is hard not to get involved. Chivasso, May 2018.

Although Kate's birthday party takes place at their home, both she and Mary dress up and prepare for a special occasion. Chivasso, May 2018.

20 May is the birthday of Kate, whom everyone calls " Sister Kate". Kate is treated like a queen, all the attention is on her. She prepares herself with meticulous care, taking care of every detail. In the days before, all sorts of food was bought and her friends spent hours cooking and preparing typical Nigerian dishes. Chivasso, May 2018.

Mary is hosted in the house of the lady who ran the African market near Chivasso station. This lady rents her a room at an outrageous price considering the area where the house is located and the condition of the house itself. Mary has her whole world inside this room. She is still undocumented and it will be a long process to obtain a new refugee status. Turin, February 2020.

Birthday party in one of the houses dedicated to welcoming refugees at the Mary Poppins Cooperative. Chivasso, July 2018.

The year 2019 was a very bad year for Mary. Accused of online fraud for supporting a man who asked her to open an online account into which money of dubious origin had transited, Mary is arrested. She loses all her documents, her residence permit and her job. She enters prison before Christmas 2018 and is released after seven months. Here our contacts break down. Turin, January 2020.

After 7 months in prison, Mary obtains conditional release with an obligation to sign. He has to go to the headquarters every morning to sign. Our relations are to be recovered. Unfortunately in prison I was forbidden to visit her and even the letters I wrote to her never arrived. Turin, February 2020.

Mary and Kate love dancing. Among their favourite artists is a certain Davido, an American musician and producer of Nigerian origin. Chivasso, July 2018.

In March 2022, after several meetings with paola, the lawyer who follows her and deals with her criminal and bureaucratic proceedings, mary manages to obtain a replacement residence permit valid for 6 months. Turin, March 2022.

With the arrival of 2022, it is more than two years since Mary has been undocumented and officially illegal. So we decide it is time to start finding a way out of this state of torpor and malaise caused by the criminal trial still in progress and by a status that does not allow her to do anything. I reactivate some of my old knowledge in the world of hospitality, and through a lawyer friend, Mary is placed in a new project. Turin, March 2022.

Mary and Kate in the Chivasso house as they fix their hair and get ready to leave. Chivasso, July 2018.

Mary is an avid believer and is full of crucifixes that she has bought and been given as gifts. She also has a bible, from which she regularly reads a few passages. Chivasso, May 2018.

Mary has been living at the cohousing for five months now. She has new friends and although she only has one room and has to share the kitchen and other communal spaces, she gets on very well. Her situation is improving, the bureaucratic situation remains to be sorted out. Turin, August 2022.

Mary in prayer during our trip to the Sacra di San Michele. This is the last trip we will take for a long time. We lose sight of each other again because of the arrival of the covid 19 pandemic. Sant'Ambrogio di Susa, February 2020.

The first trial period, the first activated internship is officially over. It lasted 6 months and now the Tailor's Shop has activated a second contract for her, also as an intern, which will last as many months. Working in tailoring is not one of Mary's ambitions, but currently it is the only way she can afford money to help pay rent and everything else. Each month, however, most of the money Mary sends to her son in Nigeria. Turin, February 2023.

Mary poses for a portrait inside the Cinema Museum in Turin. Although she has come to Turin often, she has never visited a museum. It was the first time she had seen the Mole Antonelliana, symbol of the city and home of the Cinema Museum. Turin, September 2018.

In October 2022, late to the start of the school year, Mary enrolls at the Istituto Istruzione Superiore Paolo Boselli in Turin, where she attends evening classes with a social-health address. Resuming her studies is complex, partly because it is difficult to concentrate after a full day's work. The topics covered in class are difficult to understand and require hours of study in order to cope with tests during the school year. Turin, November 2022.

A photo of Immanuel taken by his aunt who has had him in her care since Mary left Lagos. Immanuel poses in front of his school in his uniform. Mary's dream is that he can graduate and join her in Italy. Turin, October 2022.

Mary has led a difficult life and despite her young age, she seems to have already lived 1000 lives. She often tells me that there is not much to say about her and her life. she thinks often, sometimes too much about the mistakes she has made and this always makes her very quiet and reflective. She realizes, however, that slowly her steps are carrying her towards a new life. Turin, August 2022.

Mary poses for a portrait inside her room. Turin March 2023.