This project is now finished, but I want to thank all the wonderful people I met who helped to make it a success. The paintings have been at venues across Nova Scotia, first at the Immigration Museum in Halifax in 2010, then in Port Hawkesbury, Antigonish, Truro and Bridgewater. They were also shown the St John Arts Centre in New Brunswick.
The painting of Dr Chee is now with him in Singapore and two more were bought by members of Amnesty International; the rest are at the Amnesty office in Toronto and are for sale as a fundraiser for Amnesty International. 50% of any sales go to Amnesty.
All of us hear the name Amnesty International whenever there are human rights abuses, but I knew little about how the organization worked. After attending a provincial meeting, I found out that much of their work is done through Urgent Action Circles, which write letters on behalf of victims of injustice.
I decided that one way in which I could contribute as an artist would be to paint portraits of these people. I am very indebted to members of my local community who agreed to form an Urgent Action Circle, and also to Amnesty International, for supplying us with cases with images. I hoped that the portraits along with the letters written by our circle would help the general public relate to the plight of these people, who live in countries so different to ours.
We wrote letters and I painted portraits on behalf of twelve cases:
1. Alsadiq Siddiq Adam Abdullah is a Sudanese businessman resident in the UK, missing in the United Arab Emirates.
2. Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, Raha Sabet Sarvestani and Sasan Taqva are a group of young Bahá'ís imprisoned in Iran for teaching underprivileged children.
3. Abdullah al-Hamid is an intellectual who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for speaking out for the rights of women to demonstrate for imprisoned relatives.
4. Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaei, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Vahid Tizfam and Mahvash Sabet are seven Bahá'ís who formed a committee looking after the needs of the Bahai community in Iran. They have been accused of spying on behalf of Israel, and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
5. Jayaprakash Sittampalam Tissainayagam is a journalist imprisoned in Sri Lanka. Recently we received the happy news that he has been released and is now in the US.
6. WOZA (Women of Zimbabwe Arise) consists of a remarkable group of women in Zimbabwe, who have been repeatedly abused and imprisoned for demonstrating peacefully for the rights to a decent standard of living. In this portrait one of their leaders, Jenni Williams, has short hair because her hair was infected with lice last time she was in jail and she shaved it off.
7. Kimy Pernía Domicó spoke out about the damming of the Sinú River, critical to the lives, culture and well-being of his people, the Embera Katío. He was abducted and killed by paramilitary troups in 2001.
8. Jelveh Javaheri has been imprisoned in Iran for using a website to promote the One Million Signatures campaign for women's equality in Iran. Many of her fellow activists are in jail.
9. Obtilia Eugenio Manuel is a Me’phaa indigenous woman in Mexico. She and her family have been harassed and threatened in order to stop her work on behalf of the human rights of her people.
10. Justine Masika Bihamba is a human rights defender in Congo, who coordinates the non-governmental organization Synergie des femmes contre les violences sexuelles (SFVS), which has assisted more than 1,800 victims of rape, and continues to support 100 victims of sexual violence. Her daughters have been assaulted, and have had to leave Congo.
11. Oh Kil-nam is in South Korea, but his wife and daughters were sent to one of North Korea's notorious prison camps after he defected.
12. Dr Chee Soon Juan is fighting for democracy in Singapore. He has been charged with ruinous politically motivated defamation suits, which have made him bankrupt and therefore ineligible to contest a parliamentary seat. He has been imprisoned numerous times and was fired from his university position.
The painting of Dr Chee is now with him in Singapore and two more were bought by members of Amnesty International; the rest are at the Amnesty office in Toronto and are for sale as a fundraiser for Amnesty International. 50% of any sales go to Amnesty.
All of us hear the name Amnesty International whenever there are human rights abuses, but I knew little about how the organization worked. After attending a provincial meeting, I found out that much of their work is done through Urgent Action Circles, which write letters on behalf of victims of injustice.
I decided that one way in which I could contribute as an artist would be to paint portraits of these people. I am very indebted to members of my local community who agreed to form an Urgent Action Circle, and also to Amnesty International, for supplying us with cases with images. I hoped that the portraits along with the letters written by our circle would help the general public relate to the plight of these people, who live in countries so different to ours.
We wrote letters and I painted portraits on behalf of twelve cases:
1. Alsadiq Siddiq Adam Abdullah is a Sudanese businessman resident in the UK, missing in the United Arab Emirates.
2. Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, Raha Sabet Sarvestani and Sasan Taqva are a group of young Bahá'ís imprisoned in Iran for teaching underprivileged children.
3. Abdullah al-Hamid is an intellectual who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for speaking out for the rights of women to demonstrate for imprisoned relatives.
4. Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaei, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Vahid Tizfam and Mahvash Sabet are seven Bahá'ís who formed a committee looking after the needs of the Bahai community in Iran. They have been accused of spying on behalf of Israel, and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
5. Jayaprakash Sittampalam Tissainayagam is a journalist imprisoned in Sri Lanka. Recently we received the happy news that he has been released and is now in the US.
6. WOZA (Women of Zimbabwe Arise) consists of a remarkable group of women in Zimbabwe, who have been repeatedly abused and imprisoned for demonstrating peacefully for the rights to a decent standard of living. In this portrait one of their leaders, Jenni Williams, has short hair because her hair was infected with lice last time she was in jail and she shaved it off.
7. Kimy Pernía Domicó spoke out about the damming of the Sinú River, critical to the lives, culture and well-being of his people, the Embera Katío. He was abducted and killed by paramilitary troups in 2001.
8. Jelveh Javaheri has been imprisoned in Iran for using a website to promote the One Million Signatures campaign for women's equality in Iran. Many of her fellow activists are in jail.
9. Obtilia Eugenio Manuel is a Me’phaa indigenous woman in Mexico. She and her family have been harassed and threatened in order to stop her work on behalf of the human rights of her people.
10. Justine Masika Bihamba is a human rights defender in Congo, who coordinates the non-governmental organization Synergie des femmes contre les violences sexuelles (SFVS), which has assisted more than 1,800 victims of rape, and continues to support 100 victims of sexual violence. Her daughters have been assaulted, and have had to leave Congo.
11. Oh Kil-nam is in South Korea, but his wife and daughters were sent to one of North Korea's notorious prison camps after he defected.
12. Dr Chee Soon Juan is fighting for democracy in Singapore. He has been charged with ruinous politically motivated defamation suits, which have made him bankrupt and therefore ineligible to contest a parliamentary seat. He has been imprisoned numerous times and was fired from his university position.
1. Alsadiq Siddiq Adam Abdullah
Oil on canvas. 24X20"
2. Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, Raha Sabet Sarvestani, Sasan Taqv
24X36"
3. Abdullah al Hamid.
24X20"
4. Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaei, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Vahid Tizfam, Mahvash Sabet.
24X36"
5. Jayaprakash Sittampalam Tissainayagam
24X20"
6. WOZA
24X24"
7. Kimy Pernia Domicó
24X36"
8. Jelveh Javaheri
24X24"
9. Obtilia Eugenio Manuel
24X24"
10. Justine Masika Bihamba
24X24"
11. Oh Kil-nam
24X20"
12. Dr Chee Soon Juan
24X36"
