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Bonnier republishes Afewerki’s Grenfell photo book to mark fifth anniversary of tragedy
Bonnier Books UK has teamed up with EMI to republish a collection of photo stories featuring the survivors and bereaved from the Grenfell Tower fire, originally published by creative director and editor Feruza Afewerki and Grenfell charities.
Gold & Ashes, shot over two years and highlighting the true stories, humanity and courage of the Grenfell community, will be published on 14th June 2022 in hardback, marking five years since the fire broke out in the early hours of 14th June 2017, killing 72 people.
Afewerki lost her sister and niece in the Grenfell tragedy and wanted to help rewrite the narrative around the fire and rehumanise the tragedy through photography. Her vision for Gold & Ashes was to create a space for the families who lost loved ones and homes to share their stories.
She said: “The Gold & Ashes photo series captures more stories than I had imagined in the beginning, and yet there are still so many to tell. Losing my sister and niece in this tragedy has been devastating and I’ve channelled my grief into learning from their example.
“My sister was always reaching out to make friends and build connections and her legacy has inspired me to create this work. I hope that these photo stories will live on to remember those we lost for who they are and inspire others to tell their story, too.”
The legacy of the book will be honoured at a launch event in Hoxton Arches on 7th June, featuring a panel of bereaved victims, including the chair and members of the Grenfell United committee Natasha Elcock, Bellal El-Guenuni and Karim Mussilhy, alongside Silent Walks organiser Zeyad Creyad and Afewerki. It will be hosted by Swarzy Macaly.
There will be an exhibition of the photos, as well as a segment on mental health and community healing.
