Voices from the 18th OXHRF: Resilience through art - Sketch Club, Quetta, Pakistan

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)

Voices from the 18th OXHRF: Global voices - what does resilience mean to you?

 EL Laskar writes: 

The Oxford Human Rights Festival held a global competition this year which was instigated by one of the planning committee, Geena Whiteman. 

Young people aged 11+ and adults of all ages were invited to submit a short essay on their personal experiences of resilience and human rights. 

The Junior (11 -17 years) entrants were asked “What does resilience mean to you in your local community?” And the Senior(18 years +) entrants were asked “Explore Human Rights and resilience as you understand the two. How do you think your view will differ from how someone from a country currently facing mass human rights violations? 

Geena Whiteman, who administered the competition, said “We were delighted to have entries from almost every single continent in the world (besides Antarctica!). This is the first year this competition has been run, with an overwhelmingly positive response and an abundance of incredible entries that took a long time to get through. Many people shared their stories, their opinions and their lives with us, telling us what resilience means to them and their community, and in the context of human rights.” 

The judges had a challenge to pick a winner in each category - each individual shared their experiences, challenges and aspirations. We were struck by the passion and storytelling of each entrant. All the essays were bound together and exhibited as part of the festival exhibition experience.

Reading the essays at the opening of the festival on 13 March

For us as humanitarians, academics, policy makers and students, individual stories matter  - they are lived experiences and they help guide us in how we can better support human rights violations. With over 50 entries from across the globe, we introduce the winning essays in both the senior and junior categories.

Voices from OxHRF: ‘Bits of Borno’ - life in the midst of crisis

Celebrations - Party from Bits of Borno (Photo (c) Fati Abubakar)

Elizabeth Laskar writes: There has been a gruelling conflict between the military and non-state armed groups in the north eastern regions of Nigeria for over 10 years. It has resulted in serious human rights violations and the desperate need for humanitarian assistance for the populations trapped in the middle. In the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe approximately 14,400 people have been killed, 53 percent of the total population of 13.4 million need humanitarian assistance, 1.3 million people have been internally displaced and 38% suffer daily from food insecurity. Terror, violence and conflict continue to plague these states. 

The terror group Boko Haram (meaning ‘western education is forbidden’) claims the state of Borno as their stronghold and continues to commit acts of terror in the region and neighbouring states of Chad and Niger who have been enveloped into the crisis. Between 2013 and 2015 the group killed more than 11,000 people and today the UN reports that 2.4 million people have been displaced in Nigeria and in the neighbouring countries. Unicef reports that over 1000 children have been abducted since 2013 by the group which includes the kidnapping of over 200 girls from a school in Chibok in 2014. 100 girls are still missing. A narrative of terror continues to be reported through news and media and stories of strength and resilience of the IDPs are often overlooked.

‘Bits of Borno’ is a project that chronicles the everyday lives of individuals and communities in the state of Borno. The project was instigated by Fati Abubakar, a celebrated Nigerian documentary photographer, photojournalist, and public health worker from the capital of Borno, Maiduguri. 

Through her photography, Fati wants people to bear witness to a different perspective of her hometown and she also aims to strengthen a narrative of hope within the IDP communities themselves. She feels her work counters the violent extremist message of Boko Haram - her passion is about creating counter-narratives for the underrepresented communities. 

‘Bits of Borno’ is a collection of unique stories that share the lives of the internally displaced through photographs of people living, working and thriving in the state of Borno. The pictures give a glimpse into the incredible ability for people to bounce back and over time begin to tell a new story.

A right to consume? Resilience and climate change as human rights issues

Displaced family from South Sudan unable to reclaim their plot: the right to property can "unlock poverty traps" (UN photo)

EL Laskar writes: This year we had an opportunity to share reflections from CENDEP alumni. The voices of our alumni are important to us, they were the founders of the Oxford Human Rights Festival and their voices are part of the ongoing legacy of the festival. Our alumni make a rich tapestry across the globe and we welcome the voices, experience and expertise. Josh Ayers (CENDEP 2014) shared his reflections and highlighted some of the gaps of Article 17 of the Declaration of Human Rights - ‘Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others and no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.’

The landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) signed in Paris in 1948 began the work of codifying human dignity into a minimum set of rights that the majority of the world’s nations at the time could agree upon.  For decades, much of civil society has affirmed these by taking  “rights-based approaches” to works of justice and compassion, sustainable development and the alleviation of human suffering.  Faith-based actors have readily taken up this cause as well.  Our work at Food for the Hungry shares many of the hallmarks of a “rights-based approach," including a dogged commitment to the foundation of human rights - the dignity of the human person.  Based on this bedrock of human dignity, the preponderance of rights listed in the UDHR address issues of fairness, freedom, and equality, painting a picture of the ideal society that most today can agree on.  

So what does this mean for those of us engaged with issues of resilience and climate change?  Expressed as “rights” -  or moral or legal entitlements to possess something or act in a certain way - our rights-based approaches have a tendency to become individualistic, singularly and reflexively focused on the “I” and “you”.  I have a right to life, liberty, and the security of the human person (myself).[1]  I have a right to own property, therefore you cannot take it from me arbitrarily.[2]  De Soto’s influential work in The Mystery of Capital made the explicit link between ownership of property (and the legal recognition of that ownership) and the functioning of the capitalist economy.  It is the legal entitlement, or right, to own property that allows the owner of that property to do with it as he or she pleases.  It is indeed Article 17 of the UDHR – the right to own property – that unlocks poverty traps for many of today’s most vulnerable people.  

Celebrating ‘Positive Encounters’ - Oxford City of Sanctuary Refugee Week

Elizabeth Laskar writes: 

The UK will be marking Refugee Week from 15 - 22 June. Instigated in 1988 in support of World Refugee Day (which is marked on the 20 June) the aim of the week is to support ‘positive encounters’ between communities by providing opportunities to learn about the refugee experience through talks, workshops, film and the creative arts.

This year the Oxford Human Rights Festival has collaborated with Oxford City of Sanctuary to co-host two events to support CENDEP MA candidate Basma El Doukhi in her initiatives to share her story and host a panel discussion on refugees, hope, solidarity and resilience during COVID-19. You can link on the titles below to register for the events.

Refugee Week OxHRF events
16 June 5.30pm - 7pm (UK) / Online
The Personal Journey of a Young Female Stateless Refugee Basma El Doukhi

19 June 5.00pm - 7pm / Online
Panel Discussion: Narratives of Hope, Solidarity and Resilience  

Voices of the 18th OxHRF: The Power of Music - Championing Human Rights, Resilience and Aspirations.

“They can take our instruments and break them, but they cannot remove music from our hearts and minds”
EL Laskar writes: Our last two posts centred on the experiences of children and young people who get caught in the ravages of war. The emotional and physical toll on their development can be crippling. 1 in 4 of the world's children live in a disaster area or war zone and they are reported to be the first and most affected. The evidence points to the fact that despite all the work that individuals, agencies and governments are doing with children and young people, they are still the ‘invisible majority’. I invite you to take a moment away from reading and just think about the enormity of what has been shared.

It is not difficult to join the dots - children and youth are the future and therefore it is imperative that we listen to their voices, co-create spaces and support opportunities for healing, learning, aspiring and thriving.  As UNICEF points out, children and youth show remarkable resilience and they have power in their story telling. It is part of our responsibilities as a global community to stand in solidarity with them and help them to create a new narrative for themselves.

This year the festival exhibited a selection of photos from the Afghan Women’s Orchestra called ‘Zohra’ and invited Lauren Braithwaite, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford to speak at our opening event about the role of music in resilience. In 2017 Lauren became Artistic Director and co-conductor of the Zohra Women’s Orchestra and led the group on tours to India, Portugal, Sweden, and the UK. We introduce you to the stories of the brave young Afghan women musicians of Zohra.

Lauren Braithwaite writes: "The Zohra orchestra is a showcase of the resilience and determination of Afghan youth and women to continue fighting for their rights." 

Be yourself the change, the candle in the darkness

The UK ambassador to Lebanon highlights the work of CENDEP student Basma Eldoukhi

DEP Masters student Basma Eldoukhi writes:

This is a reflection of my experience volunteering to support vulnerable people in the community in this unprecedented period of time.

I always believe that as COVID-19 is very infectious, kindness, compassion, love and solidarity are more infectious in this sense, simply because we are humans. It’s our humanity and humility at the same time.

When I saw the NHS Volunteer Responder application advertisement, I applied without hesitation because I wanted to support and help people in the community I am living in. Because we are all in this together and as I always follow in my life this motto “If not me, who and if not now, when?"

Voices of the 18th OxHRF: ‘Gaza seen through the eyes of its children’

EL Laskar writes:

In our last blog, to commemorate Victory in Europe day, we shared snippets from the memoir of Mrs Prince who had been a child of war in Britain during the Second World War. We were thankful to have her story included in our exhibition this year. There were striking similarities in her story with some of the experiences of children in war zones today - abandonment, scarcity of resources, loss of loved ones, fear of being bombed and having a war zone as a playground.

As we mentioned in our last blog Rights of Children can often be overlooked and with approximately 415 million children growing up in war zones, global society needs to continue to invest in the protection and welfare of these children.

Voices from the OxHRF - '...everything was either dug up, covered up, or taken away’

Mrs Prince as a youth in a 'patch and make do' sash

EL Laskar writes: This weekend the UK has a public holiday to mark Victory in Europe Day, also known as VE Day. The nation is encouraged to mark the day with celebration in remembrance of the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces on 8 May 1945 - this marked the end of World War II in Europe. In this blog, and the two to follow, take the opportunity to share the voices and acknowledge the resilience of children and young people in war times.

When was the last time you took time out from watching the news to read the rights of children? According to UNHCR 70.8 million people are forced to flee their home, 25.9 million are refugees and half of the refugees are children. Today, approximately 415 million children grow up in a war zone. We stretch the banner of human rights but what does that mean for children that get caught up in wars, political turmoils and disturbances? What are their stories of resilience? And how can individuals, academics and organisations listen, understand and help care for their welfare as they make their journey into adulthood? Today we have global organisations like the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children who are dedicated to the protection of children and uphold the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Voices from OxHRF - Made by Rohingya women for Rohingya Women

Leaving Myanmar (Copyright Shafiur Rahman)

[EL Laskar OxHRF Coordinator] In our last blog Dr Sana Murrani gave us an insight into her work with refugees and invited us to think beyond resilience. We contemplated whether a resilience lens limits our views and takes away from further inquiry into how we as individuals, academics, communities and institutions, can support individuals to thrive and move towards self fulfilment? 

Shafiur Rahman

In this blog we introduce the story of ‘Testimony Tailors’ through the eyes of Shafiur Rahman, a documentary filmmaker from the UK. Shafiur stumbled on the story of the Rohingya in 2016 in Bangladesh - what he witnessed took a deep bite into his spirit and changed his life forever. His journey started with listening to the story of one Rohingya woman who had crossed the border into Bangladesh to seek refuge. Today he continues to share the story of several women who survived horrific and brutal attacks on their homes and families in Myanmar. 

Previously known as Burma, Myanmar borders Bangladesh and India, China, Laos and Thailand.  Until recently it had been home to the Rohingha, most resided in Rakhine State and traced their roots back to the eighth century when coastal settlements were exposed to Arab traders.  Before the recent exodus there were around 1.2 million Rohingha living in Rakhine State. Since 2017 nearly 750,000 Rohingha have fled Myanmar.