This picture shows a migrant while praying with his head bowed on a sidewalk in Rome next to waste containers. The picture, called "The prayer," was shot by Andrea Agostini in the summer of 2016 at a migrant gathering place of the association Baobab Experience in Rome, which was located at the time in Via Cupa.
The photo was presented at the photographic competition ''Contrasti'' (contrasts) organized by Oxfam Italia and won the top prize in the ''daily life'' category. Agostini is an amateur photographer. He has been working as a volunteer for the association Baobab Experience for three years.''The photo was shot by chance'', he told ANSA. ''It was Sunday, I actually thought the young man was lying down because he didn't feel well, instead when I got closer I saw that he was putting down his prayer mat in front of the waste containers. I stopped and took the picture as I thought that the shot represented the situation of reception in Rome''. For a migrant, prayer ''is often the only anchor to salvation and, beside the waste, it looks like a road along the decay in which they are forced to live''. The shot symbolizes ''the search for beauty in the midst of many ugly things''. (Photo credit Andrea Agostini)