Silent Voices is an annual exhibition featuring paintings by victims of Ewa’a Shelters. All money raised is donated back to the shelter in order to support victims of human trafficking. Tempo chatted with Maitha Al Mazrui & Jennifer Simon to learn more about this important initiative.
How did the exhibition start?
Jennifer: ADMAF approached me in 2012 and asked if I would be interested in giving art workshops to Ewa’a victims in 2012. I spent six months working with the women to create the first exhibition. This year Ewa’a has taken over the event and there has been a core group of women who have worked on all the artworks in this show. We had just two months to put the exhibition together but because of the women’s hard work and dedication they have produced some amazing art. I am really proud of their commitment and all of them have never painted before in their lives, so this is an amazing achievement.
Tell us about Ewa’a shelters.
Maitha: Ewaa Shelters concentrates more on the victims and the different ways we can support and rehabilitate the victims. Silent Voices is an annual initiative, which not only works on raising funds for the shelters but also works on rehabilitating the victims’ lives. This is a means for them to take out all the pressure of the past experiences and nurture hope for the future.
Tell us about the art.
Jennifer: I love many pieces from the exhibition; each girl has slowly been developing a distinctive style. All have stories attached to them, and even though these can be sad because of the environment they were painted in, I hope that they end up as sources of inspiration.
How do these paintings illustrate human trafficking?
Jennifer: These girls are very brave and have not been afraid to fight for what is right. A lot of what goes on is hidden but it is happening everywhere across the globe. An underlying theme that has been common in all three exhibitions is the fact that the girls never give up on their hopes and dreams. They all want a home, family and life where they feel safe and can live in peace without their human rights being violated. One girl even painted the neighbors she wanted and if she ever felt lonely she painted birds and said she would just talk to them.
