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| Syed Fazil Hussein |
My students have the power and the ability to convert their feelings and emotions onto the canvas. The best option we have is to begin the process of catharsis within ourselves and the best way for catharsis is to paint, to do poetry, write essays, fictions and novels. This allows for the process of catharsis to continue, the work we do also becomes part of our history and we get to release the pain and suffering we are feeling. This is the best form of resilience. (Syed Fazil Hussain, Founder Sketch Club)
EL Laskar writes:
This year we had the opportunity to showcase the work of Syed Fazil Hussain alongside art work from his students. Fazil is the founder of Sketch Club and he has been running an art project in Quetta, Balochistan Province, in Pakistan since 2009. He has been teaching and nurturing art to the Hazara youth and wider community. Fatimia Hashmi, CENDEP PhD candidate, is currently focusing her research on the Hazara community and introduced the Sketch Club story on this blog early this year - you can link here to get a deeper insight into the initiative.
During my fieldwork conducted between January and April 2019, most of the young participants mentioned how the ‘Sketch Club’ had been their saviour when the conditions in Quetta were turbulent to such an extent that the targeted killings of the Hazara community were on a daily or weekly basis. Without a doubt, I was intrigued to find out more about ‘Sketch Club’ - I quickly discovered it was run by my primary and secondary school Art teacher, Syed Fazil Hussain. (Fatima Hashmi)
Syed Fazil Hussein and Fatima Hashmi
Through Fatima’s successful fundraising campaign, we were able to display several pieces of work by Fazil and the Sketch Club students. We also had the opportunity to invite Fazil to speak at the opening of the Festival here in Oxford. He shared the story of his journey of financial hardships, the joy of sharing without wanting in return, of being valued by the local community, his own personal trauma and healing and stories of pushing boundaries in offering co-education classes for the community.
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| Syed Fazil Hussein (right), Fatima Hashmi and EL Laskar (first and second left), with Mayor of Oxford Cllr Craig Simmons (centre) at the festival opening |
Who are the Hazara?
Fatima Hashmi writes:
The origin of the Hazaras is shrouded in mystery but the most common legend is that they are the descendants of the army of Genghis Khan. The Hazaras originate from Afghanistan and belong to the Shi’a sect of Islam, although some are Sunni. The persecution against the Hazaras in Afghanistan, because of their ethnicity and religious affiliation, in the late 19th century marked the first wave of migration to Pakistan, which has continued to the present day.
In Quetta, the capital city of the Balochistan Province and also an urban transit hub for the Afghan Hazara refugees, they settled into their first neighbourhood, Marriabad. In recent years another settlement has emerged in Hazara Town. Over the last 20 years, with the increased sectarian violence targeted at the Hazaras, both settlements have transformed into ghettos, surrounded by walls, boundaries and cordoned off by the paramilitary police 'protection mechanism' provided by the Government of Balochistan.
The estimated population of around 2.9 million Hazaras still reside in Afghanistan; making up the third largest ethnic group there. However, the exact figures of the Hazara population in Pakistan are not precisely known, due to the invisible refugees as it ranges between 0.5 and 1.5 million. Whereas the ones registered to vote make up to 50,000 in Quetta. In recent year’ thousands have fled to Australia, Europe, UK, Canada and the USA as a result of persecution, threat to lives and also other forms of discriminations in Pakistan.
EL Laskar writes: The story of Sketch Club is inspiring and Fazil’s energy and focus permeates his words and work. He is an advocate that the arts have a considerable part to play in healing trauma and thriving. During his few days in the UK Fazil kindly gave a private tour of the exhibited pieces - the selection of pictures below give you a glimpse of the exhibition and the video gives a deeper insight into the symbolism and influences of ancient culture and religion that flows through the work.
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| Syed Fazil Hussein |
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| Syed Fazil Hussein |
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| Syed Fazil Hussein |
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| Syed Fazil Hussein |
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| Syed Fazil Hussein |
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| Sketch Club student work |
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| Sketch Club student work |
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| Sketch Club student work |
The Oxford Human Rights Festival would like to thank Mr Fazil Husain, the Sketch Club students and Fatima Hashmi. If you would like to display or purchase any of the paintings that were in the exhibition please contact el.laskar@brookes.ac.uk or fazilhmousavi@gmail.com All funds raised will go directly to the Sketch Club initiative.
Richard Carver writes:
This is the last of our blog posts on the Eighteenth Oxford Human Rights Festival. CENDEP would like to thank the organizing committee - and most especially EL Laskar - for their extraordinary work in putting on the festival in these very difficult circumstances and their success in bringing the festival to the broader online world. Thank you.
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