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Colouring Our Culture
Sponsorships/Endorsements
The Refugee Project
Responding
to the crisis in Afganistan - NEW
THE REFUGEE PROJECT
New for
2001 - Karen team to work with
schools
RECOMMENDED NEW RESOURCE
SITE:
http://globaled.ausaid.gov.au/
http://www.austcare.org.au
AUSTAID - Includes resources/issues on eg. Refugees/
Women/Childlabour
Richard Ssekyeru(sekyeru@hotmail.com)( in Lubiri coordinated the African Refugee Project and worked with the UN and Red Cross to conduct a field trip with students to link to this global art project. His colleague Richard Lubiri(lubiriss@infocom.co.ug) coordinated the issue of 'I am a refugee'. Lubiri is putting information together from all three sub topics in 'Colouring Our Culture' . Richard Sebaduka(richduke@mengoss.ac.ug) at Mengo is creating a website and producing a magazine which will reflect the activies of 'Colouring Our Culture'. Sebaduka has been able to reach out to tow countries in Africa, Rwanda and South Africa.
The
students of these countries have written topics that were
agreed on:
KASHOJWA PRIMARY SCHOOL IN NAKIVALE REFUGEE CAMP
The camp happens to have a primary school called Kashojwa primary school. The school was started in 1995 by Red Cross for refugee children. It currently has 1335 children including some nationals. Red Cross caters for the payment of teachers, construction of classrooms, and provision of scholastic materials. Some teachers are refugees while some are nationals. Before the teachers are allowed to teach they have to show their certificates. English is used a s a language for teaching by communication is a problem especially in the infant classes because of the different backgrounds. Teachers at times help to interpret from English to different languages when necessary. For admission, refugee children do tests to determine the levels to which they belong while nationals need recommendation letters from their former schools. Despite all the hardships, pupils are willing to study. The school has games like volleyball and also athletics in which they tremendously perform well. Successful refugee students continue to secondary school and are sponsored by Redcross, while nationals by their parents. Other refugees are trained in vocational skills by trainers.
The major problem the refugees are facing is food. The food is not sufficient and it's very hard for them to digest. They are given maize grain which their children cannot digest. As a result of eating maize grain, malnutrition cases have greatly increased especially among children. It the past it was traded for other food, but now its expensive to mill. Shelters are not in good condition when the roof tops commonly plastic sheeting are easily blown off and they have to spend the whole night under rain.
Houses are small and not partitioned yet some families are large leaving the refugees in alarming housing conditions. The area is infested with mosquitoes therefore malaria is easily spread and yet refugees can't afford mosquito nets and bedding. The refugees complain about their confinement in the camp because they are restricted from leaving the camp. They compare that to prisoners in a prison. The refugees appeal for more counsellors since they are suffering from psychological problems resulting from the suffering they went through like witnessing the cold murder of their relatives.
Compiled by
Kiwana Francis
Student
King's College
Buddo
NAKIVALE REFUGEE SETTLEMENT
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
75 kilometres south East of Mbarara Town and Mbarara 180 kilometres from the capital city Kampala, in Uganda, lies the Nakivale Refugee settlement in the valley adjacent to Lake Nakival from which the camp derives it' name.
The camp covers about 85 square kilometres. It is located 0.8 N 30 degrees in the SW of Western Uganda in East Africa.
It is surrounded by rural areas with a large population which is agro based making up the market economy.
Way back in the late 1950's there arose misunderstandings between the Hutus and the Tutsis both of which are ethnic groups in Rwanda, a neighbouring Country in the south west of Uganda. This created a tense situation causing the Tusti's to take an exodus to Uganda as refugees. They were allocated the area around Lake Nakivale giving birth to the camp.
In the 1980's, the Tusti's decided to join in fighting their enemies in the Rwanda genocide of 1984. However a great number have continually found their way back and they have been joined by refugees from other countries.
These ones coming back claim that their land and all other property was confiscated during the war.
'It is hard to remove some one from your house and infact you become insecure if you raise such complaints, we decided to come back since we were not chased from the camps and survive here other than dying.' Disclauses on the refugees.
UGANDA COORDINATOR: Sebaduka Richard Mengo Senior School(Uganda) 12th April 1999.
Greetings in the name of the Lord. The project was introduced in Uganda in August 1998. This was as a result of the IEARN conference in Chattanooga. This was entirely the effort of the IEARN coordinator in Uganda. During the conference I came to learn of a community of artists who developed their feelings using Art. Back in Uganda the Project was introduced to a number of schools around Uganda and it was greeted with great enthusiasm.
Thanks to the CFA(Copen Family Fund) who offered to sponsor this project. A sum of 1800 Dollars was put aside for activities in Uganda. This a great boost most especially when incomes a very low in Uganda.
In view of the above factors the following steps have been taken to integrate the Global Art Project in Uganda.
SCHOOL COORDINATOR NO OF STUDENTS NO OF TEACHERS
- Mengo Senior School Sebaduka Richard 42 6
- Lubiri Secondary School Ssekyeru Richard 30 3
- Gayaza High School Ednar Nyakisiki 20 2
- Mt St Mary’s Namagunga Labongo 40 2
After the interception of the Global Art Project the following sub projects were the main line of concentration
- Coloring our culture
- Faces of War.
- Most recently A sense of Caring
1. Sensitization of the Global Art project to both Students and Teachers through the East African region.
2. Collection of Art work.
3. Collection of Art Writing i.e. Poems
4. Coordinating with other countries around the world.
5. Creation of Web site(URL)
6. Preparing of Magazine to potray activities, students work, participants in the Global Art Project.
1. Partial sensitization to schools and countries i.e. Kenya
2. Collection of Art work and Poems
3. Collaboration with schools around the world
4. Creation of Website to show activities.
5. A visit to Refugee camp
6. Linking with NGOs like the Uganda Redcross
7. Creation of Website
1. As a result of bad introduction to the project it has been extremely difficult to finally get exactly what goes on in the project. For about three months it was a challenge to me to try to introduce this project. Most people thought that I was trying to exploit their art talent for financial gain. Right now this problem has continued to reduce.
2. Curricular limitations. In Uganda Computer is not yet supported by the curriculum. As a result Sudan’s spend more time trying to build a stronger base in the curricular subjects. This automatically raises a number of problems in this project i.e. limited participants.
3. Being the first time to take part in this project it was difficult to draft a working budget. As I speak many of the activities went out of way from the budget. It was therefore very challenging, as most activities done by other teachers were not rewarded. In this case many were not cooperative later when artwork was requested for.
4. Limited responses from other countries around. Most collaboration came from Australia. This didn’t potray the Global nature of the project.
5. There are so many projects in the Global art Project which confuses my students.
1. The project should be further introduced to peace missions or perhaps the United Nations Youth assembly in a bid to get Artwork of the project is viewed as an effort to make the world a better place.
2. Students with great artwork should be upheld.
1. To wind up this year all the activities in Uganda shall be presented in a magazine which shall be on display during the IEARN conference and after. This shall student’s artwork, participating schools, stories poems, commentaries, photos from the visit to the refugee camp, and many more.
2. Students art work is still being collected but the next batch of pictures shall be available during the conference. The first batch has been posted to Australia where it shall be scanned and posted to the Internet.
3. Am to visit Kenya ( A neighboring country where I m going to introduce this project to some students in some schools.) This trip is due the 20the of April 1999. After the Kenya visit I shall travel to Rwanda where I shall visit War ravaged areas from where I shall produce a report and Art work from that country.
4. Presentation during workshop at the IEARN conference.
Once again I wish to thank the entire global art Community which to me I see as a community that is growing day after. I pray we all keep together to for the betterment of our children and future.
THANK YOU
Sebaduka Richard
Mengo Senior School
Coordinator Global Art project (Uganda)
Dear all ,
We have just returned from a refugee camp here in Uganda. It was a great experience.
4 Teachers , and 5 students were part of this trip. It was a kind of experience we got. Watch out for the report I have after compiling every thing together.
. All the refugees have sent greetings to you all.
This trip was fully organised by a colleague. It was then partly sponsored by IEARN.
I will be with you shortly
Sebaduka Richard
Computer Co-ordinator
Mengo Senior School
P.O.Box 1901
Hi Joanne,
We are back full of fatigue but from more than 280 km. The work was so good
and I will be getting back step by step with all the details and our findings.
I have just been to your web site and this time I am thinking of producing
one which I want you to keep in touch and help me up load.
Thank be to God we went and came back safely.
We were 8 initially but later joined by sebaduka richard of Mengo totalling
up to 9 participants. I asure you work was very goo. Happened to get into a
primary school in the settlement with over 1300 refugee pupils. The
students were exited and took so many photographs there.
I will get back soon with more information.
Cheers
Richard Ssekyeru
Coordinator
Refugee Project
Uganda
Kampala (Uganda)
Tel: 256-077-404249
Email:richduke@hotmail.com,
richduke@mengoss.ac.ug
Web posted at: 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT)
TETOVO, Macedonia (CNN) -- As art imitates life, so it does death. In a Macedonian refugee camp, ethnic Albanian children who have been forced to flee Kosovo hauntingly illustrate atrocities taking place in their home province.
A refugee school administered by the United Nations at the camp has put together an exhibition of the students' work. The drawings and paintings reveal grisly scenes: attacking soldiers, burning houses, dead bodies.
One artist depicts his 79-year-old uncle, his body riddled with bullets.
Arcim drew a Serb policemen shooting his father in the neck. His home is ablaze. NATO Apache helicopters hover overhead, too high to help. The 12-year-old said he wants to become a Kosovo Liberation Army fighter to avenge his father's death.
Others recreated similar scenes of death and destruction. Selveta explained one of her works: "Burning houses in the village, and Serb tanks attacking them so we have to run away and spend our lives in other peoples' homes."
Dafina drew a forest, where she hid for almost a week after Serb soldiers kicked ethnic Albanians out of her village.
"There was nothing to eat or drink," said the young artist.
Correspondent Kasra Naji contributed to this report.
Updated document due any day
CLICK HERE TO SEE PART OF THE REFUGEE WEEK EXHIBITION WORK
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Joanne Tate
araratcc@netconnect.com.au
Date Last Modified: 21/10/99
Project Joint Coordinator
