On Friday August 14, Ertegun House hosted “Sketches of Oppression,” an exhibit of children’s drawings from three regions: Burma, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Sudan.
The event was co-sponsored by Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART) and Waging Peace. HART works to promote human rights through aid and advocacy. Presently, HART works with partners in eight regions, including Burma, Nagorno-Karabakh, Sudan, and South Sudan. Waging Peace works to fight genocide and human rights abuses. Their present focus is Sudan.
The drawings from Burma and Nagorno-Karabakh, most (but not all) depicting violent scenes that the children had witnessed, were collected on visits by HART to their partners, who work in conflict or post-conflict areas, often facing persecution and oppression and trapped behind closed borders. These areas are often not reached by larger organizations and government support. The drawings from Sudan were collected by Waging Peace, from Darfuri children living in refugee camps in Chad.
The drawings are commanding and powerful, providing an insight into the lives and minds of children living in these contexts. The drawings represent events that have occurred in the past decade, but need for human rights support remains.
Kevin Tobia
