Feb 17, 2007 (ASMARA° — The Peacebuilding Centre for the Horn of Africa (PCHA) is launching an art exhibition by Sudanese artist, Hassaan Ali, at The Gallery, from February 17 to March 3, 2007. The opening ceremony for Hassaan Ali’s exhibition will be held at The Gallery on Friday, February 16th at 6:30 p.m. in which Government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, members of Asmara’s art community and other invited guests are expected to attend.

Hassaan Ali is award-winning painter based in Cairo who has had numerous solo and joint art exhibitions across the globe (see attached CV). The theme of Hassaan’s art exhibition is “Dislocation (2)” dealing with the trauma of war and dislocation in war-torn societies like Darfur. During December 2006, Hassaan had participated in the international art exhibition at the Cairo Biennale, and his entry in that exhibition — a mural painting (3m x 2m) comprising of six pieces — won the excellence award. Hassaan’s Asmara exhibition is, therefore, a continuation of that theme. This meshes well with PCHA’s mission to promote peace-building activities in the Horn of Africa by highlighting through art and cultural exchanges the plight of war victims. A major concern of Hassaan Ali’s art is also the human rights of the dispossessed. Hassaan is of Nubian origin from North Sudan, and the fact that the homeland of the Nubians was flooded about 40 years ago to make way for Egypt’s High Dam, resulting in the displacement of the Nubian people from their original homeland has had a major impact on his artistic vision which seeks to highlight the pain and trauma of displacement. This pain and trauma of displacement as a result of wars, famines and ill-conceived development projects has been affecting peoples and communities across the Horn of Africa region.

Hassaan, had previously exhibited in Eritrea: 1991 at the Department of Culture, 1997 at the Alliance Française, and 2005 at the Arrag Art Gallery of Massawa. This time around his art exhibition will be held at The Gallery, along with a week-long art workshop to be conducted by Hassaan Ali to a select group of young Eritrean artists. The art workshop, co-sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (PFDJ), The American Embassy and The British Council, will be held from February 23 to March 3, 2007, enabling Hassaan to share his wide-ranging artistic vision and experiences with the next generation of Eritrean artists.