Refugees’ Art Exhibition at Rio’s Museum of Tomorrow

By Sarah Brown, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A new art exhibition Horizontes Possíveis (Possible Horizons) began on Tuesday, September 13th and will continue until Sunday September 25th at the Museu do Amanhã (Musuem of Tomorrow) in Rio. The exhibition brings together eleven works of art from four refugees that have sought asylum in Brazil, providing compelling insights into their respective countries.

Felipe Morais, the curator of the exhibition told G1 online that the exhibition shows the severity of the global humanitarian crisis and highlights the difference in realities between refugees and residents of Brazil.

“Our idea is to educate the public about the refugee issue. A refugee is a human being that has stories to tell and the will to live. In this exhibition, we deal with the resilience of people and how we imagine certain situations from a very different viewpoint than our own.”

Besides raising awareness to the refugee crisis, the exhibition acts as a way of integrating the four refugees into the Brazilian cultural scene and encouraging them to continue making art. It also helps to give the refugees a sense of purpose and an incentive of not giving up working.

The four refugees are Keto Kabango and Serge Makanzu from the Republic of Congo, and Ali Abdulla and Anas Rjab from Syria. All four fled their countries due to persistent civil war that rages throughout their countries. Kabango arrived in Brazil after a 15-day boat journey across the Atlantic Ocean that parted from Sudan. His art piece is a collection of ceramic pots that represent his home city.

According to the United Nations, since the Second World War, the world has faced the largest humanitarian crisis to ever exist, with more than 65 million people fleeing their homes to seek asylum in other countries. The main sources of disturbance are war, armed conflicts in power struggles and religious and ethical persecution.

What: Horizontes Possíveis Exhibition
When: September 13th – September 25th, Tuesday to Sunday from 10AM to 5PM
Where: Museum do Amanhã, Praça Mauá, 1 – Centro
Entrance: R$5 – R$10