Children of war as the title denotes the work with children in conflict areas, those who are displaced internally by war , those children who are conflicted within by the political chaos that constantly pushes and pulls them in many directions . The schools being shut and disrupted by strikes break the rhythm of the school. The political ramification dominates the mindscape of children. The ruptures of daily life contaminate any other thinking, feeling that could be more person centric.My work in Kashmir , Manipur , Punjab, Sri Lanka , Cambodia and with the afghan refugees and visitors have been about healing trauma through Art and somatic experience. The continuous rupture , the constant internal displacement makes children often very anxious , have shut downs , get into internal fights. Political harshness takes away the dignity of people, it makes them highly vulnerable and prone to hyper arousal .
Living with tear gas , shelling , and constant curfew , there is a deep crisis in mental health. Its only through the creative arts, through reflective work with the arts could we re- work our senses, re look at our reality, have artistic distance and find our own moral grounding. The children through their art work get a clear picture of themselves, and their larger reality, they get a chance to release, reflect, reassess memory and to rejoice .
Itís difficult to find knowledgeable people in this particular subject, however, you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks