Celebrating Life and Freedom

Ok. I know it’s been a long time since I have posted a new blog.  I can only say that I have been preoccupied with many great things. My daughter’s graduation from High School for one, and all the wonderful celebrations that come along with that momentous time in life…

and a wonderful project uniting the artist community to raise awareness for Sudan’s women.

The paintings coming in for The Sudan Canvas Project have been moving and inspiring. Artists who might not have otherwise known about decades of atrocities in Sudan are now researching and becoming inspired to paint.

This creation of art by Cleta Grant of San Francisco is called “Icon I”. It’s combination of silk, linen, organza and burlap on stark black background brings to life the tents of the displaced persons camp through use of texture. A hiding, emotionless face tells the viewer about the hopelessness of war.

Artist Linda Francis of Westport, Ct paints the women of Darfur. Although dressed in the colorful Sudanese drapery, the expressions on faces of her women and the supportive hand of one woman on anothers shoulder strongly depicts the arduous task of waiting for food in the displaced persons camps.

More and more paintings are being submitted. Some are celebratory as South Sudan, after decades of war and marginalization, celebrated freedom of their new sovereign nation on July 9.

Locally, we celebrated as well for the people of Sudan. Friends and neighbors gatheed in the art studio to create signs in preparation for a small rally of peace at Trumbull’s Town Hall.

Although it was a day of celebration here in in Juba, South Sudan, many are also saying strong prayers for peace.

South Sudan’s significant resources have triggered a border war in the disputed area of Abyei perpetrated by the Islamist regime in Khartoum. A regime headed by Gen. Omar al-Bashir  who has been indicted  by the International Criminal Court for perpetrating genocide in Darfur. A recent Abyei border agreement  between North and South Sudan signed in June is tenuous.  More than150,000 refugees  fled to the South from Abyei displaced by raids of Northern forces in May.  Because of recent border conflicts between Sudan and the new Republic of South Sudan.

South Sudan’s hard fought freedom is a credit to the US brokered Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 that laid the basis for secession from Sudan.  The citizens of South Sudan voted overwhelmingly (99 %) in the January, 2011 internationally supervised Referendum for Independence. *

Although attendance was light  (12 noon on a gorgeous summer Saturday), these wonderful activists came out to support. We had a special guest at our Rally, My friend Evelyne Mukansongk, a Rwandan Genocide survivor, who spoke about the importance of hope and the power of forgiveness.

I hope to be writing more about Evelyne soon. You will absolutely love to meet this charming, insprirational woman.

*paragraph taken fromarticle by Jerry Gordon