UNLESS THERE IS ONE BEGGAR, ALL OF US ARE BEGGARS
“Pain and lost belief” was what an imprisoned woman from “Abovyan” jail wanted to draw. “It is what I feel now,” said one of the participants in today’s exhibition. The meeting was organized by “TRTU” cultural NGO; it is already several years this NGO organizes “Pyunik” cultural program in the “Abovyan” jail. The mission of this NGO is to stimulate those, who are imprisoned, to take part in the cultural and social life of the country.
According to Temik Khalapyan, the head of the organization, the creative works of the imprisoned are already presented in the foreign countries. Today the sixth exhibition took place with the support of OSCE-Yerevan. Totally 150 works were presented in the exhibition: 100 wooden works, 40 pictorials, and potteries. 350 minors and 50-60 adult women took part in those six exhibitions carried out in this jail.
“The date of the exhibition (December 7) is not chosen by chance,” said Saro Sarukhanyan, the director of People’s Art Museum. According to him, the Armenians must continue the culture common to them: Armenians. The director continued saying that everything must be done in order children continue creating both those who are imprisoned and those who are set free. “If there is a single beggar in our country, then all of us are beggars,” said the director and expressed his wish to see all the jails empty.
One of the participants, a minor imprisoned who is already 2 years there said that when working and creating days become shorter and besides they get profession. He said that he promises when he gets out of jail he will continue the work.
Gevorg Danielyan, the minister of justice was also present in the exhibition; he said that these kinds of events are of much importance as they can cause the change of mentality our public feels upon the imprisoned.