‘My place under the Sun’: Exhibition of children’s artwork in downtown Sarajevo

A photo exhibition ‘My Place Under the Sun’ opened in front of the Sarajevo Cathedral on 1 February 2016, showing the world in the eyes of children from Bijeljina, Bosanski Petrovac, Derventa, Foča, Gradiška, Maglaj, Mostar, Prijedor, Živinice and Brčko District, who took part in the Inclusive Photo Workshops.

Through photos, children show their dreams, wishes and changes they want to see. This exhibition demonstrates exactly that. We are glad to have supported it as part of the project of support to durable solutions of Revised Annex VII of the Dayton Peace Agreement,” said Massimo Mina, the Head of Operations Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross-Border Cooperation at the EU Delegation to BiH.

Inclusive Photo Workshops across ten municipalities had gathered as many as one hundred school-age children of different social backgrounds. The goal was to teach children the basics of photography and help them use yet another tool in expressing their views of the surroundings, as well as their needs and desires. At the same time, the activity aimed to raise the awareness of the wider public on the need for involvement of children, especially those from vulnerable groups, in all aspects of life.

Photos exhibited here were authored by children, depicting a true reflection of the world, as lived and seen by children. The world they would create is indeed the world worth fighting for”, said Amer Kapetanović, a photographer, who worked with children in these workshops, alongside other fellow photographers Haris Čalkić, Dejan Đurić, Željko Budimir Keka and Dženato Dreković.

These children have spoken to us through these photos; they have communicated their views and desires. It is up to us now to take a look, to lend an ear and try to respond”, said the UNICEF Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Dr. Ayman Abulaban. Olivier Mouquet, Head of Operations with the UNHCR in Bosnia and Herzegovina also shared his satisfaction and outlined some of the key aspects of the project Support to durable solutions of Revised Annex VII Dayton Peace Agreement Implementation Strategy.

The project is funded by the European Union with 7 million Euros through IPA 2012, and co-funded and implemented by UNHCR in cooperation with project partners in ten priority municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project was launched in 2014 and will be implemented until the end of 2016 in Bosanski Petrovac, Gradiška, Prijedor, Derventa, Maglaj, Bijeljina, Živinice, Mostar, Foča and Brčko District.

Project implementation partners include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Hilfswerk Austria International (HWA), Bosnian Humanitarian Logistics Service (BHLS), Foundation for Local Democracy (FLD) and the Association Vaša prava BiH.

Europa.ba