As part of its ongoing commitment to community participation and its belief in the necessity of giving opportunities to all artistic talents, the “CultureFoundation – Art d’Egypte” Foundation, in cooperation with UNESCO, held a panel discussion on the role of art and culture in supporting refugee artists and empowering people in light of the exhibition “Women Tell Their Story” and “Echoes” in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with the attendance and participation of Nuria Sanz, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo, and Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, Founder of Art d’Egypte.
The session discussed the importance of creating a space to hear voices that deserve to be heard, such as refugee artists. It also reviewed the artworks and handicrafts that 20 Sudanese artists participated in during the “Women Tell Their Story” and “Echoes” exhibitions within the fourth edition of the “Cairo International Arts District” (CIAD) exhibition, which is organized by “CultureFinder-Art d’Egypte” from October 10 to 30 in three main locations in Downtown Cairo: Radio Cinema, El Masnaa, and Access Art Space. “We at Art d’Egypte believe that art should be available to everyone, and that it is the means through which society and its issues can be expressed, and others can be introduced to identity and culture,” said Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, founder of “CultureFinder-Art d’Egypte.” She added that the ties between Egypt and Sudan are strong and deep-rooted in history. Amidst the crises it is going through, the participation of Sudanese artists in the “Cairo International Arts District”, especially women, represents an honor and appreciation for the strength and resilience of Sudanese women, and highlights their courage and sacrifices amidst the chaos of war.
Abdel Ghaffar pointed out that the works of Sudanese female artists reflect their experiences and local culture, which raises the awareness of visitors to the Cairo International Arts District of important issues and the profound impact of the conflict on the lives of these women, and encourages the public to interact deeply with the artworks, and learn about the power of visual stories in calling for peace and justice, and how art deals with the idea of moving to another country for residents of conflict zones, especially women.
Nuria Sanz, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo, said: “UNESCO’s cooperation with Art d’Egypte in organizing an exhibition for Sudanese female artists within the “Cairo International Arts District” exhibition comes within the framework of UNESCO’s extended efforts to support Sudanese society and artists and highlight their creativity and ability to express their local community and the issues they face.” The Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo stressed the importance of implementing the 1980 Recommendation on the Status of Artists and the 2005 Convention, which calls for the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions and mechanisms for supporting them. Therefore, organizing the exhibition provides an important platform through which Sudanese female artists can promote their artworks and messages, showcase their creative expression, and share their perspectives and experiences, as well as the social, economic and cultural challenges they face as artists in a transitional phase.
Sanz pointed out the importance of listening to the voices of women in the Sudanese war; and shedding light on their stories, which are often ignored amidst the conflict.
Through their distinctive artworks, we learn about their own narrative in the face of crises and their stories of resilience, flexibility and hope in the face of unimaginable adversity, stressing the importance of developing a roadmap, formulating action strategies and enhancing cooperation between stakeholders from the public sector, professional associations and the host community. Artist Hala Nour El Din said that this year’s participation is her second with Art D’Egypte, as she previously participated in the last session after leaving Sudan immediately after the war. She added that there are no words that can express the bitter experience they went through and the shock they experienced from the moment they knew the war had started.
They had a glimmer of hope that everything would end and the country would return to how it was, but this did not happen. She continued in her talk that the most difficult thing in the world is war. The most difficult decision is to leave your home; therefore, her paintings are projections of the bitter experience she lived there.
She also expressed her happiness with what Art D’Egypte does by gathering all the arts around the world in one place, as art is the only thing that can get us out of psychological pressures and give us an outlet and life. Artist Ryan Gamal said that the bag is the most important thing in war, as it is the home and the future that carries the past inside it, and it is also their present, as they carry their papers inside it. She added that the bag contains their memories of her homeland, Sudan, and she was able to put one drawing in her bag, which reminds her of her life in Sudan.
Ryan continued in her talk that art exhibitions are a global meeting point; where everyone expresses what is inside them in the same way, language or nationality does not matter here, as language here is the art that everyone shares.
She talked about war, saying that it is harsher on women because they are the ones who take the journey and face the world, in addition to the attacks they are exposed to along the way; the challenges are difficult and the experience is bitter and difficult to tell, so women try to express it through art.
Artist Mohamed Othman talked about the Cairo Arts District Exhibition, saying that Art d’Egypte does a wonderful job as many artists from around the world meet in one place, which is an opportunity to get to know different types of creative arts.
He added that art is the key to shedding light on problems and conflicts, and all that artists try to do is express what is happening so that there is a glimmer of hope because what happened is unfortunate and difficult and no one wishes for war, and he is preparing for a major work soon about war and peace.
Syrian artist Manar Muhyiddin said that she drew a bag with a human heart and a feather on it expressing the beginning of the war, and it expresses what they did or what they decided to leave Syria; they put their necessary things in this bag, and the first thing she put was drawing tools because they are very important to her.
She added that the bag expresses everything that is necessary and the feather on the bag is freedom in general, and the freedom of women in particular; women are free and must come out of the shell in which Arab societies have placed them.
She continued that a person’s impact on war is due to the nature of his personality, but the fear for women is greater because they are more emotional beings, and many restrictions are placed on them during war. Akatsuki Katahashi, UNESCO Regional Office for Egypt and Sudan’s Culture Programme Specialist, expressed her happiness to cooperate with Art d’Egypte in organizing the Sudanese Women Artists Exhibition in Cairo this year, which was preceded by a workshop, noting that the exhibition represents an opportunity for these artists to express themselves and share their experiences in their community as well as their journey from their country to Cairo, stressing that the exhibition enhances the idea of interaction and dialogue between refugees and the host community in Egypt.
It is worth noting that the “Cairo International Arts District” is a parallel exhibition to the fourth edition of the “Forever is Now” exhibition, scheduled to be held in the Giza Pyramids area from October 24 to November 16, with the participation of a number of artists from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, America, Belgium, Italy and France, each presenting works that vary between video, sculptures, paintings and live performances, which shows the interaction of contemporary art with the historical and cultural narratives of the downtown area
Published Oct 20, 2024.
