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| The participants were all keen to go through their comics in the review sessions. |
Grassroot comics workshops were held during 2016-2017 in Finnish reception
centers in Helsinki, Kontiolahti and Lieksa. As a result of this, the asylum
seekers’ comics exhibition Illustrating Me starts its tour on the 30th
of January 2017 in Porvoo as a part of the Comics Festival Å-fest. On the same day the exhibition opens in the web (see web address
below).
The comic
exhibition brings up asylum seekers’ personal stories and experiences. They
describe situation in their home countries, their journey to Europe, everyday
life in Finland and share their future dreams. For many of the participants the
comics are a first attempt to visually express the turning points of their
lives.
The idea of the
asylum seekers’ comic workshops came up in summer 2015 when refugee issue was a
hot topic in Finland. From summer 2016 on the associations Hei Helsinki and World Comics
Finland organized 8 workshops from which 29 comics were chosen to the
touring exhibition.
Many asylum
seekers participating in the workshops didn’t have any experience in drawing.
The new challenge was embraced with enthusiasm. The participants of the
workshops came from Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Uganda, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Burundi, Iran, Gambia, Albania, Cameroon, Russia and Guinea.
One of the workshops was held in a meeting of Service Civil International (KVT ry) because many asylum seekers
participate in voluntary work camps in Finland.
All of the comics
drawn in the workshops can be seen in the web exhibition
The touring
program of the exhibition can be found on the same web page.
Posted by the Exhibition theme
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| by Yasser Hassan (of no nationality) |
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| by Waad, Syria |
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| Deep concentration at drawing her comics (above). |
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| by Mustafa, Iraq |
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