Multi Coloured Scarf of Peace

Background/ Rationale

Pakistan is going through difficult times. Growing extremism has not only worsened the security situation in many parts of the country, the very existence of Art and Culture is also threatened. In some parts of Pakistan such as Peshawar, in the North West Frontier Province, the art scene is practically dead. We also witnessed the destruction of centuries old Jehanabad Buddha, in Swat, in the same way the two 1,500-year-old Buddha statues in Bamiyan were destroyed in Afghanistan.


In my experience, of almost a decade promoting art and creativity among children I have come across several instances where I have seen how the growing religious extremism has robbed children from enriching their childhood experiences through art and music. In this background it has been an uphill task to find new and innovative ways to make our heritage of cultural diversity meaningful to children. I founded Funkor Childart Center to promote art and creativity among children. a personal experience, of a choice I made as an artist, as a Pakistani Muslim and as a citizen of this world, whether I want to live my life confined to my studio and the elitist environment of art galleries, promote my work and spend time in building a market for my work, or instead use the gift of ‘art’ with children, who have never known the joy of painting, and using it as a tool of ‘enriching their minds’.

PEACE THROUGH ART

Funkor uses the medium of art to promote the concepts of Peace; this is done through mural painting, art contests, art exhibitions etc. Promoting Pakistani children’s art on Peace at international events is very important for Funkor.

The exhibition of the ‘Multi-coloured Scarves of Peace’ is very important for Funkor. In 2009 I made a scarf of peace which is 110 ft long, it is one such project that on one hand is an entertaining art activity for Pakistani children to inform them about some of the ideals of the Children’s Rights. This art activity promotes Child Rights through images, and facilitates a discussion among children. They are encouraged to look at the images and the messages they carry. Through the discussion they learn about child rights, rights of the girl child who has suffered immensely during the recent conflict in northern Pakistan, where hundreds of girl schools were blown up by religious fanatics. Children also discuss the importance of living in a clean green environment, where they have fresh air to breathe and clean water to drink.

This scarf features ‘Amai, the magical bird’, a cartoon character I developed for children. Amai is made of light and million tiny stars. She is a friend of children and teaches them tolerance and peace. In these depressing times, children love to see the colourful display of this mural and the tiny mirrors embellished on it shine like tiny stars and reflects the light back at the viewers. ‘Multi-coloured Scarf of Peace’ is dedicated to all those children who are living under difficult circumstances and face discrimination.

At an international level too Muslims have a ‘perception’ problem. For an International audience, this art activity’s message is that Pakistanis are the victims of terrorism, consequently, we are losing our friends and loved ones, yet for us it is very disturbing when we are perceived as fanatics or terrorists. Many of us feel that the Western media, is obsessed with Muslim extremists, consequently Muslims even the moderate ones are perceived as ‘terrorists’. This display encourages people to look at the messages rather than the scarf itself. It urges audiences to look at the similarities between us and people from other religions and to understand that we have the same hopes and aspirations for a better world.

Profile of Fauzia Minallah

Fauzia Minallah’s passion for art and design converges with her activism through writing and campaigning for heritage, conservation, environmental and social matters. So does her enthusiasm for raising issues of peace, tolerance and justice as well as her involvement with children, on a platform that she has provided to them in the shape of an NGO called Funkor Child Art Centre, carrying out workshops for children living in shanty towns, for children with disabilities; refugee children and so on.

Fauzia Minallah is an unconventional artist whose time has been well spent so far pursuing social issues, Fauzia is a graduate of the famous Pratt Institute New York . She emerged as an art and heritage activist, curating a show of traditional carved tombstones, the dwindling craft of chitarkari-slate engravings—that the craftsmen from her parents’village in Hazara,in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, were slowly giving up as people started preferring other materials, such as marble. Her own inspiration to work in slate, clay and other materials emanated from working with these craftsmen.

She has documented Islamabad's natural and cultural heritage in her book 'Glimpses into Islamabad's Soul'.

She is the winner of National Book Foundation Award 2003 for promotion of children’s literature.
The team of "Sadako's Prayer Project', book written and Illustrated by Fauzia Minallah was the winner of Hiroshima Citizen's Award."Sadako's Prayer'is translated, in Urdu and English, Dari and Japanese.
Short listed for the Bremen Peace award 2009. One of the nominated projects and organizations, which are exemplary in their work for peace, justice and integrity of creation.For democratizing art education and making it accessible to kids from low-income families, so that they too can playfully discover their own creativity.
Iqra- Read (A Prayer for the Girls of Afghanistan and Pakistan) was winner of third prize at the My Hero Project short film festival 2009. This film promotes the education of the girl child in Afghanistan and Pakistan through Mural Art.
Winner of 'Special Hero award' at the My Hero Project short film festival 2009.

www.funkorchildart.com
www.fauziaminallah.com

Other links:

Fauzia Minallah, an artist who has encouraged the children to draw and paint, says they need help to exorcise their fear of both the Taliban and of army shelling...Barbra Plett, BBC
To read the article click on the following link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8079496.stm

http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=Fauzia_Minallah_2009

http://www.nowpublic.com/tag/Fauzia+Minallah/news

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Regional/Islamabad/18-Oct-2009/A-unique-event-at-Fatima-Jinnah-Park