Children Drawing Their Dreams

 “Peace Now and Adults Stop Playing War”

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

Last week the Human Rights Center and Georgian Centre for Psychological & Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (GCRT) organized an action in Support of Victims of Torture in Kutaisi. An art contest was held within the framework of the event. IDP children had to paint what they wanted in the city central park.

From outside, everything is as usual: The children are drawing in pencils, crayons and in water-colors. They are drawing flowers, houses, guns, and people. However, one boy especially attracted my attention. He was drawing grey flowers on a white sheet of paper. He has his own explanation for this drawing: “This flower represents my mother, and the other one is my father and the third is me. I then asked, “Why are we grey?” It is because we have become IDPs in our own country.  When a person is happy he is red or yellow. When he is a bit sad, he becomes blue and when he is down, everything is grey for him or her. I am originally from Sokhumi, but I was born in Kutaisi. I wish we lived again back in Sokhumi, all together as one family.  We and Abkhaz people should reconcile and live together; we do not want a war any more. Georgians have gone through war once and many people died.”

The children think like adults, and while speaking with them you understand that they are well aware of political processes. They know there have been Parliamentary Elections recently and their parents even took part in electing a new parliament.

“It is bad that children can not vote. It does not matter if the opposition is bad or good. I prefer them over the government, as they have many flags and cars. My friends from the kindergarten like Misha {Mikheil Saakasvili}. Her mother circled # 5 and they gave her a new cap. It would be nice if the opposition had caps as well. They would give me and I would wear it,” says a 5-year-old Giorgi. He has drawn red cars in yellow garage. Giorgi is on a good mood; you can tell it from his active behavior and bright colors he has used in his drawing.

 The girls are drawing pretty women on high heels rushing to their work places. “This is me. This is my neighbor. Here is our work place and we are rushing to it. You can not go to bank late [they are working in a bank].  Boss will get angry and fire us. We shall be unemployed, with no money. There are not many job places. People are unemployed,” considers Nata. She plays the role as a woman who is a banker. She has her own explanation to this: “This is the best work and well paid and you can buy everything and you even own a car.”

They children experience their dreams in their pictures. Everything is wonderful and people live happily in their dreams. This is how they see happy life: “Mummy and daddy work and laugh all the time. We go to kindergarten and have big cakes on our birthdays. When we grow up, we shall become soldiers and return Abkhazia. We shall build big fence around Georgia so that bad Russian soldiers do not bring their tanks inside our homeland.”

Then the children start playing politicians. Some are Nino Burjanadze, some Misha. For some reason all boys want to become President of Georgia, only different kind of president.”

“Travelling is good, but sometimes I might get tired. Misha is cool and walks a lot. But he does not like visiting Kutaisi. Burjanadze did not come as well so people did not elect her. I think she did not want to be in the parliament, at least she said so on TV. We can not see her on TV any more. “
I see people in masks on pictures. They are detaining “innocent people”. The children know that there are bad people but they still draw them. “Tato’s uncle was arrested for no reason. He had not stolen anything or killed anyone. Only murderers and thieves should be placed in jail. But that does not happen in here [Georgia],” says Mariami. She likes drawing day and the pictures of her friends.

“It would be cool to have this kind of days often. Painting is good. I sometimes paint at home, but here we paint together and this is fun.”

“I like painting. I paint the sun and mummy all the time. If there is more drawing day I will paint a circus. I will paint a TV and I will paint myself on it. I will tell only good news and raise your spirits.”

The drawing day is coming to an end. The papers are not white any more. They are covered with images of colorful dreams. The children know (I think better than adults) that peace is better than war; they know that the adults must not play “war” and “catch-me-if-you-can” any more.