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Fifteen years ago all the women were living many roles. The artists is the sense maker,
there. These young women don’t live their but the conscious of society. The one to seek
choose that sex work is the best thing they can beauty. The one to ask hard questions and
do with their means and situation. That I found make disparate connections. The artist
frightening. I really enjoyed seeing all the women creates engagement between people where
again. They all remembered me and asked if I’ll there is no social or physical infrastructure to
come back in another 10 years and paint them communicate.
again. It was touching. They had photographs of
me and I of them. They showed me pictures of You were invited to take part in a conference in
me with their children and now introduced me Baghdad, Iraq, recently. What do you consider
to that same son’s wife. the main outcome on a personal level?
An American doesn’t take an invitation to
For me going into a brothel in Kolkata India was Iraq lightly. I carry a deep sense of remorse
a very foreign concept and place in every way. As for the actions my homeland has imposed on
the women spoke and Malu interpreted I shocked the Iraqi people and their land yet I would
as to the way they framed their experiences. Sex not know there was that history between us
being such a different experience of exchange from how welcomed I felt the entire week of
for my life. I had to figuratively wash out my the conference. I found the Arab people so
cultural conceptions and experiences about sex inclusive and warm. The amazing thing is
and intimacy as I tried to understand how they they party, dance and have lots of fun without
felt and made decisions. I was very interested. any alcohol. Spiritually, I felt they are a very
I wanted to understanding and be able to see healthy people.
from their point of view as much as possible. The
women were direct. If you’re going to be raped I was glad for the opportunity to hear so many
everyday by a husband you might as well be paid points of view from people I don’t often get
for it. It’s reasoning such as this that jolted me direct contact with and I was happy to share
into the world of these women. my work of drawing and storytelling as tools to
address trauma due to environmental disaster.
Do you think that art is being forgotten or at Through language and cultural differences
least neglected in our modern societies, and if the people at the conference put effort into
yes, what should the role of an artist be in your reaching out across all of these barriers.
opinion? 2016 I had the opportunity to create an art program in a girls prison
There are still people making art but it is being Finally, if you have a message to our readers in Morocco for girls 9-18 years old. I witnessed the transformative
neglected in the way that society is not making what would that be? power art making could give to the girls. The work creating a new
a pathway for artists to survive. The cost of It’s very difficult to make assumptions about identity for the girls to see themselves as artist instead of the bad
living is too high everywhere. It used to be that people. girl in prison. This lead me to study under Dr Richard Mollica at
an artist could “live between the cracks.” If they Harvard University Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recovery
didn’t need too many material goods they could Certificate Program and York University’s Summer Course in
lead a modest life and make art. Now to pay Refugees and Forced Migration. From there I began working to
the rent, one must have a corporate job. Young Visualize the Impacts of Shock & Collective Trauma by developing
people see that they can’t make ends meet being trauma-informed art making and storytelling workshops for
an artist therefore the enrolment in art schools earthquake survivors in Türkiye. Along with a team from Balikesir
has dropped off considerably in the USA. Many University and support from the Balikesir Municipality we created
degree programs have closed and others merged a series of storytelling workshops in the summer of 2023. Over the
with universities in the vicinity. This state has years of experienced I’ve refined a developmental process using
narrowed the pathways in which an artist can drawing and stories to create a safe and empowering space where
led their lives. people, irrespective of their backgrounds or previous engagement
in art, can explore their personal narratives and find strength in
I think this has caused widespread depression self-expression. I hope to continue to have new opportunities to
in young people because they see very few ways develop this direction and contribute to the lives of individuals
they can lead a life with an alternative narrative. affected by trauma by being a catalyst for hope and recovery.
There is need for artists in society to take on
w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h
