The Lost Men of Syria at Saatchi Gallery
Syria’s grim humanitarian crisis finds yet another sombre expression in The Lost Men of Syria exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, opening 19 July, writes Eastern Art Report arts newsdesk. Photographer Edward Jonkler’s work examines the role of men in refugee camps, and the shifting power dynamics that can often lead to acts of radicalisation and mental illness, with once patriarchal figures becoming “lost’. Fleeing violence...
Syria’s tragedy and the story so far
Europe, not just the European Union, continues to blunder through policy and practice vis à vis Syria and its refugees as the turmoil in the country continues and the death toll mostly of the innocent mounts daily. And now there’s President Donald Trump of the United States, and the future for Syria, the Middle East and indeed the whole of Europe and the West looks uncertain. Amidst these multiple imponderables comes a new book from a...
Let there be Light! Nour Festival offers hope in creativity
London’s annual Nour Festival returns to the multicultural metropolis 20 October-6 November 2016, promising to highlight “the best of contemporary arts and culture from the Middle East and North Africa.” Sadly the festival’s overarching mission is challenged and overshadowed by unprecedented turmoil and fragmentation in the region it celebrates and showcases. As the five-year-old festival’s audiences...
Child refugees in Europe ‘falling between cracks’
A record 96,500 unaccompanied refugee and migrant children applied for asylum across Europe in 2015, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said citing new data and calling for urgent measures to protect these children from the serious risks of abuse, exploitation and trafficking. “Unaccompanied children are falling between the cracks,” said Marie Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant crisis in...
Early days yet for any ‘Global Compact’ on refugee crisis
An upcoming UN plan for addressing the unprecedented global refugee crisis could be a game-changer if governments back it up with concrete and long-term commitments, advocacy group Amnesty International said [9 May 2016]. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will publish a report [9 May 2016] proposing a ‘Global Compact on responsibility-sharing’ to create a more predictable and equitable way of responding to large movements...