After fleeing conflict in Afghanistan, photographer Muzafar Ali did not expect to find links to his homeland in Australia.
But it was connecting with the descendants of Australia's Afghan cameleers that helped him understand where he fitted in his new home.
After arriving in Australia in 2015, the Hazara refugee became interested in the idea of identity.
"This displacement is a generational experience for us … so when we came to Australia, we knew this was our home … we can stay and no-one is going to displace us anymore," he said.
He was surprised to learn Afghan people had been part of the country's history for almost two centuries and that cameleers had played a key role in settling the outback.
Ali travelled to the most remote areas of South Australia to learn more.
He discovered cameleer descendants included a diverse group of people with Australian, Afghan, and Aboriginal heritage.
"So they were negotiating different identities with such pride, with such dignity," he said.
Greater meaning after Taliban takeover
The journey was documented by Ali's long-time friend Jolyon Hoff, a filmmaker he had met while a refugee in Indonesia.
"Muzafar felt a real connection to the Afghan descendants of the Afghan cameleers and wanted to know more about their experience, who they were and where they come from," Hoff said.
The project took on a greater significance when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and Ali realised he could never return home.
"So the notion of identity became more important to me," he said.
"We cannot think to live in Afghanistan anymore.
"So our stay, our time or our life in Australia, is concrete now."
The resulting film, Watandar, My Countryman, premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival last year.
"Watandar really provides that anchor and base for Afghans to say, 'Yes, we have a place here and we belong here … and we were part of building this country'," Hoff said.
Traditions and tales of cameleers
The project was a moving experience for Ali, who was delighted to connect with the cameleer descendants.
But he was saddened by some elements of their current situation.
"They live in such small towns of just 13 people; they have been neglected and continue to face discrimination," Ali said.
Ali was also pleasantly surprised by the traditions that have been upheld through the decades.
"We have camel cup in Marree; they have curry nights every year where all cameleer descendants gather in Marree, South Australia," he said.
"I think that it is really important to tell the stories — the histories — because that's what I feel [is] very common in Hazara culture and Aboriginal culture.
"We have a verbal history; we don't have written history."
Ali said the experience, along with others as a new migrant, has made him want to remember and celebrate his identity as a Hazara.
"When I talk about [being] Hazara, I talk about the generational experience that we were killed and persecuted and are still being persecuted because of our ethnicity, because of our language, religion and identity," he said.
"So I keep it very sacred in my heart, that I am Hazara."
Ali's connection with the Afghan cameleer descendants has allowed him to find home, far from home.
