The CHH-Lancet Commission worked with three artists who have experienced conflict or forced displacement firsthand to capture their perspectives and hopes. The artists freely explored these themes, creating a scene of their choice and in their preferred medium.
Explore these fascinating pieces below.
Art piece 1: SOUGUE MARIAM from Burkina Faso
For the first painting, I depicted a woman displaced by war. She has a lovely hairstyle because she is a woman. She used to live peacefully in her village and was getting on with her life just fine. The Kalashnikov represents the terrorists who came to disrupt her peace: the village burnt down, her livelihood destroyed (cola spilled from her mouth and a gourd of milk overturned), total chaos (shoes knocked over to one side). The result is distress, both internal and external, and turmoil in the background of the painting (fear, loss, uncertainty, separation, etc.).
The second painting captures people displaced by war receiving support in many different forms. The tree represents all those who have shown goodwill (NGOs, associations, volunteers and the State); thanks to this multifaceted support – covering community life, health, general welfare, education and training – it has brought smiles and hope to those displaced by war. Yet their dream remains the same: to return to their villages. Her body is not whole, as the scars from the first incident are still healing, but traces remain. And that doesn’t stop her from smiling and moving forward.