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Summary: SANA'A - A photography exhibition displaying the artistic skills of children trained by the Ebhar Foundation for Childhood and Creativeness was held at the French Cultural Center on 17 August 2005.
The quality of the images on view was made even more remarkable once the visitor was made aware of the ages of the photographers. Khalid Ahmed, all of 9 years of age, impressed with his capturing of a variety of scenes of nature. By comparison a veteran, 15 year-old Samir Al-Qarti, showed a personal artistic touch by adding to his developed images of nature by hand afterwards. Al-Qarti, began his artistic journey early on in life. "I was encouraged by my family and school," he said, "when they saw my paintings. I continued drawing and eventually contacted the Ebhar Foundation who gave me further encouragement. My photos in this exhibition have added artistic touches to make them more expressive and give out a message to other children. The Ebhar Foundation gave awards to the children's best work and certificates to show its appreciation of the work of the sponsors: the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Corporation; the French Cultural Center, and the Yemeni Sisters Forum. Maha Naji Salah, the foundation's chairwoman, said that another exhibition is planned in which children will put on a display of traditional costumes, as worn by former rulers of Yemen. The political connotations and periods of history portrayed, Salah said, were sure to provoke the visitor's interest. The Ehbar Foundation hopes, said Salah, to inspire creativity in children and encourage them to express themselves in drawing, photography, writing, and any other art forms that they feel best channels their emotions. "We have trained children in photography in the hope that they will one day publish their work. Children who are members of the foundation are going to publish a magazine, entirely run by them alone - writing, editing, photography... - from conception to layout, it's all their own work," she said. At the end of the exhibition Salah took the opportunity to speak to, and thank, the national and foreign organizations working in Yemen to support children, help them develop their skills and expand their knowledge, and protect their rights. Salah also thanked the Friedrich Corporation for its support and the French Cultural Center for hosting the event and supporting children's cultural activities. Copyright (c) 2004 - 2005
Yemen Observer Newspaper