©UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
The home of Shedia street paper, “Shedia home”, opened its doors on Sunday to welcome the colourful imagination of children, together with the visitors of the exhibition hosting the artworks of the 2nd Children’s Drawings Contest organized by the magazine in cooperation with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Parents, relatives and friends, together with the winners and the organizers of the contest filled the venue in the centre of Athens during the opening of the exhibition to admire the 20 sketches that excelled.
The contest, which ran from 29 September to 4 November 2022, invited children aged five to 12 years old to creatively depict what “home” means to them, while reflecting on the importance of home for people who are homeless and for those who have fled their homes due to war and persecution.
More than 2,000 children from all over Greece, including refugee children, responded to this call, and created with their brushes and their imagination real and imaginary homes, homes with people living in them and others that were left behind as their inhabitants were forced to leave in search of safety and protection for themselves and their families.
“The founder of the most famous street magazine, the British Big Issue, visited a school classroom. He asked the children what home meant to them. One child replied that home was the smell of food his mum was cooking in the kitchen. The people of Shedia have lost, among other things, this smell, this safety…” said Christos Alefantis, founder of Shedia paper supporting homeless people, while he welcomed the visitors of the exhibition.
Christos Alefantis, founder of founder of Shedia paper and Maria Clara Martin, UNHCR Representative in Greece, during the opening of the art exhibition. © UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
“Home is a universal concept, something everyone can identify with. But what does home mean when you have been forced to leave yours? For refugees who have been uprooted, home can be a hug and a warm welcome to their new country”, said Maria Clara Martin, UNHCR Representative in Greece, thanking all the children who participated in the contest for the dialogue they opened around the concept of home and for welcoming refugees.
The drawing of eight-year-old Anatoli Mitsi, a student of the 132nd Primary School of Athens, decorated the cover of the January 2023 issue of the street paper. The exhibition at “Shedia home” hosting all twenty winning works will last until March 1, while the aim is that it “travels” to other places after that. Children attending the opening of the exhibition stood excited and proud under their artwork, explaining to visitors how they created their sketches. The event was also attended by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Mr. Kostis Hatzidakis and the Mayor of Papagos-Holargos, Mr. Elias Apostolopoulos.
The drawing of eight-year-old Anatoli Mitsi decorated the cover of the January 2023 issue of the street paper. © UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
©UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
© UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
©UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
©UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
“I am very happy. I didn’t expect it at all, I didn’t even imagine my drawing would be among the ones appearing at the exhibition. I was inspired by the conversation we had with our teacher and by a dish with patterns I had seen,” said little Anatoli about her winning work.
The jury of the contest was comprised of Elina Anthi, a second-grade student at Moraitis School; Foteini Darra, singer; Gerasimos Daskalakis, a vendor of Shedia; Popi Dionysopoulou, member of the Communications and Public Information Unit of UNHCR in Greece; Daphne Zoumboulakis, director of Zoumboulakis Galleries; Michalis Kountouris, cartoonist; and George Bilalis, publisher of the “En plo” publication house. Their work was particularly demanding, and the quality and number of the sketches submitted to the contest made the final selection very difficult.
“Our participation at the contest filled us with hope. We saw children drawing about the safety and warmth of home, concepts that are intertwined, but also about their fellow human beings who were forced to leave their homes, carrying inside them and in their few luggage whatever they managed to save,” Popi Dionysopoulou from UNHCR noted on her contribution to the contest and its evaluation jury.
The 20 winners are: Natalia Dimiou, 7.5, Thessaloniki; Marios Mpekiris, 8, Creative Cultural Workshop “Paichnidokamomata”, Rethymno; Angelo Mpasa, 11, 112th Primary School of Athens; Anatoli Mitsi, 8, 132nd Primary School of Athens; Vrisiis Ntani, 11, 132nd Primary School of Athens; Eleni Fytsili, 9.5, Agia Paraskevi; Pantou Eleni, 6, Primary Private School of Naval base of Crete; Kriton Anagnostopoulos, Kantas Private School, Vrilissia; Katerina Arsenaki, 10, Creative Cultural Workshop “Paixnidokamomata”, Rethymno; Xristina Vogiatzi, 12, Drawing workshop of Nea Magnisia Municipal Library; Patra- Eirini Giannoulaki, 8, 11th Primary School of Chios island; Theodoros Grigoriou, 10, 10th Primary School of Chalandri; Lena Alexopoulou, 6, Western Greece School, Nafpaktos; Kostia Fragkou, 6, Western Greece School, Nafpaktos; Stavrianna Georgiou, 8, 4th Primary School of Heraklion, Attica;Maria Areti Iliopoulou, 10, “Paichnidagogeio” Private School, Neo Psychiko; Georgios Stefanouris, 5, Peristeri, Attica;Maria Dagka, 9, Thessaloniki; Vasilis Topouris, 10, Primary School of Zipari, Kos island; Aikaterini Apostolopoulou, 7, Psychiko College.
The works of the 20 winners will be exhibited from 22 January to 1 March 2023 at the premises of “Shedia Home”, at 56, Kolokotroni & 2, Nikiou str. You can find more information here.
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