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Front page of "House without windows", a web comic about children faced with the Central African Republic crisis. ©Marc Ellison Front page of "House without windows", a web comic about children faced with the Central African Republic crisis.

A web comic and 360-video experience to discover children's life in CAR

"House without windows" is a web immersive comic about children victims of the crisis in the Central African Republic. Combining drawings, pictures and 360 ° videos, this is a four-handed creation by the British journalist and photographer Marc Ellison and the Central African cartoonist Didier Kassai. Fondation Hirondelle and Radio Ndeke Luka teams in CAR supported their work, which was published this summer by several international media, including the Huffington Post, in English and French versions.

"House without windows" follows Central African artist Didier Kassai as he documents the challenges facing youth in the country’s streets, classrooms, refugee camps, and hospitals. A father himself, Kassai worries about the legacy his own children will inherit. Using illustration, photography, and immersive scenes using 360 video, this comic provides a virtual window through which an international audience can finally observe the problems facing this nation’s most vulnerable demographic: its children. As tragic as the situation is in the country, the Central African Republic has indeed become a "house without windows". Media coverage of this crisis has been minimal, and the public’s interest fleeting. The situation has often been billed by humanitarian actors as a "forgotten crisis".

"House without windows" is the first graphic novel to use 360 video to transport its readers to the centre of its story in an immersive virtual-reality experience. Stand in a diamond mine, cycle around a refugee camp, or meet children living on the streets of Bangui. Just click on the red video icons dotted throughout the chapters to launch the short vignettes, and use your mouse to explore the scene. These videos are best viewed on a desktop computer, or on your smartphone via the YouTube app, Google Cardboard or a similar headset.

Check out this exceptionnal graphic novel here : http://housewithoutwindows.huffpost.com/#1

You can also watch the full-length 360 video documentary below :