Arakan News Agency
More than 120 artists and participants are working to produce an interactive artwork celebrating the culture of the Rohingya in one of Sydney’s squares, Australia, as part of an art event running from September 25 to October 5.
City Hub reported on Monday that the artwork aims to raise awareness about the Rohingya, who are considered the largest stateless community in the world. It took three years of preparation, bringing together more than 100 community participants and 20 artists to execute and display the art project as part of Sydney’s “Art and About” program, which aims to present thought-provoking and emotionally charged artworks throughout the city.
Simon Chua, the director of the art team responsible for the work, mentioned, “We are proud of the close collaboration with the Rohingya community in this notable project.” The project was designed and produced in collaboration between Rohingya and Australian artists, with contributions from the Rohingya communities in Sydney, as well as refugee camps in Bangladesh and Malaysia.
Advocacy partners for this project include organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, the Refugee Council of Australia, the Australian Global Health Alliance, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, the Creative Partnership for Advocacy, the Rohingya Women Development Organization in Australia, and Amnesty International Australia.
The program also includes a series of community and artistic advocacy events, featuring craft workshops, art performances, panel discussions, a photo exhibition, storytelling sessions, and a film screening, all designed to be inclusive and diverse for a varied audience. The story of the Rohingya is one of the key elements of the art pavilion, where a film about the Rohingya will be shown, along with traditional Rohingya handicraft workshops.
The network confirmed that the project aims to encourage people to gain a deeper understanding of the tragedy of 1.2 million refugees who fled severe violence and were forcibly displaced from Myanmar since 2017, who severely lack basic rights and services such as education, work, healthcare, and freedom of movement.
More than a million Rohingya fled from Arakan state in western Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh due to genocide by the Myanmar army in 2017 and violence by the Arakan Buddhist militias (Arakan Army) in 2023, aimed at controlling the state. The Rohingya live in camps in the Cox’s Bazar area of Bangladesh, which the United Nations classifies as the largest refugee camp in the world, amid harsh conditions that prompt some to embark on dangerous sea journeys in search of a better life in other countries.
