Colours in displacement

Through painting and artwork Afghan children receive psychosocial support and are building new lives.

In addition to its therapeutic purpose, the project provides a positive insight into the lives of Afghan refugee children and youth and their experience of living in displacement.

The series of art therapy workshops is implemented by Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the Spanish NGO CREART.

“If there exists a universal language, capable of transcending the frontiers of time and of connecting cultures, it is art. It awakens feelings, makes ideas visible, and embraces sensibilities”, says Chené Gómez from CREART.

According to him it is difficult to conceive the idea of a society isolated from art and even more difficult to imagine childhood separated from it. If given the opportunity, children mostly express their interests, desires and fears through artistic representations.

If there exists a universal language, capable of transcending the frontiers of time and of connecting cultures, it is art. It awakens feelings, makes ideas visible, and embraces sensibilities.

Chené Gómez, CREART

A SILHOUETTE MURAL. On a canvas three meters long, a painted mural was created with liquid tempera and brushes, using the bodies of the children themselves to elaborate and create the forms. The children took turns lying down on the canvas in different postures, whilst other children drew the silhouette around them with colouring pens. The silhouettes of the bodies interlaced on the canvas, weaving a large texture of enclosed areas that were then filled in with vibrant colours.

“Art is a tool that is used by the child to understand reality, to examine and question the surrounding world and helps him/her to construct alternative ‘visions’ and ‘versions’ not only of daily experiences but also of conflicts and diverse realities. Through art work children develop skills such as perseverance, curiosity, creativity, self-esteem, patience and the trust that permits them to face life and conflict with an active, critical and respectful attitude”, says Gómez.

From a psycho-pedagogical viewpoint, art permits the development of thought, encourages the use of intellectual capabilities such as analysis, the understanding, interpretation and solution of problems. It improves the capacity of expression, provides an atmosphere that helps the physical, mental and emotional recovery of people, and finally strengthens identity through the experience of representing themselves and the world through artistic expression. Art can be applied within the areas related to the mental and physical health as well as the emotional and social wellbeing of diverse sectors of the population.

“It is therefore evident that the curative and therapeutic power art can have on children and youth and especially on vulnerable displaced children, who face unique challenges on a daily basis”, says Gómez.