Young Hazara Artist Wins International Art Contest

By Ahmad Shuja Koshani
 

Hayatullah Haidari, a 16 year-old Hazara youngster has won the River of Words International Art and poetry Competition. The contest affiliated with the Library of Congress Center for the Book and based in the US, is held every year among the youth of the world on the theme of watersheds and receives thousands of entries in both art and poetry from different parts of the world.

There is only one international grand prize that might be awarded either to the best artwork or the best piece of poetry submitted in the competition from around the world. This year, Hayatullah Haidari, who was a finalist in last year's contest, was given the honor in acknowledgement of his artistic dexterity.

Hayatullah is a student of the Shammama Arts Gallery and is tutored by his teacher Hassan Ali Hatif. Shammama Arts Galery, alongwith another renowned institute, the Hazara Kouchani Arts Gallery are based in Hazara Town Quetta. The two institutions have been participating in the event! since the year 2002 and have had a brilliant track record. In the year 2002, only four entries were submitted out of which two were awarded finalists. In the 2003 contest, a total of around 70 entries were submitted out of which 14 were honored as finalists  among the list of less than fifty.

When asked of his brilliant success, Hayatullah said: "Before entering the contest, I believed hard work would pay off one day. I worked hard and sought guidance from my teacher and now I am the winner. Hard work really pays off". Hassan Ali Hatif, his teacher says he believes it is a great success for a person not bestowed with the best facilities to go and win such a high-level contest. "We must be proud of the success—this shows that the people of Afghanistan especially the Hazaras have an affinity towards fine arts that is a language of tranquility and peace as opposed by the misconception that puts our people in the grade of inhumanity", he further adds.

Hayatullah gives the ! credit of his success to his teacher Hassan Ali Hatif and facilitator Hussain Ali Rahimi.

His artwork that was titled as "Sadness" depicts a boy sad and feeble who has seemingly lost his parents in the face of the adversity in his country. "It shows only one of the tens of thousands who suffered in the hands of terrorists and the Taliban", puts in the winner.
The winner along with his teacher is due to fly to California, USA where the prize distribution ceremony is due on April the 17th.

For more details about the contest, its organizers and contest rules, visit www.riverofwords.org

River of Words Award Ceremony to be held in San Francisco

Our 9th annual awards ceremony will be held at San Francisco Public Library's Koret Auditorium this year. The April 17th gala event, which begins at 1:30pm, will be emceed by Berkeley publisher and author Malcolm Margolin, and will feature children and youth from around the country who are winners and finalists of this year's contest reading their winning poems about the natural world. The event will also include an art exhibit of River of Words' extraordinary art winners and a cookies and juice reception following the ceremony, as well as a book signing featuring this year's winning young poets and artists. (This is the first time that West Coast fans of River of Words will be able to attend the Award Ceremony, which is usually held at The Library of Congress. Security issues in the nation's capital prompted us to hold the ceremony here for the first time this year.)

River of Words' 2004 Teacher of the Year, Devika Brandt from Greenwood School in Mill Valley, will also receive her award at the ceremony. Other ceremony festivities include a visit from "John Muir," in the person of Frank Helling, who has been impersonating Muir for decades around the country. Sierra musician and songwriter Dan McIlhenny will also perform. Winning art from children around the world—including this year's International Prize, awarded to an Afghan refugee child living in a refugee camp in Pakistan—will be on display both at the ceremony and in the library's Fisher Children's Center throughout the month.

WHAT: Award Ceremony/Reception/Art Show/Poetry Reading/Booksigning for 9th Annual River of Words International Youth Environmental Poetry and Art Contest

WHO: Malcolm Margolin, emcee
WHEN: Saturday, April 17, 2004, 1:30 PM
WHERE: Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St., SF
(Civic Center BART stop)
COST: Free
NOTE: Wheelchair accessible. American Sign Language interpretation.

Relevant Information

River of Words International Poetry Competition
Annual Environmental Poetry & Art Contest Conducted in affiliation with The Library of Congress Center for the Book
 

Shamama Arts Gallery ... coming soon
Kochani Arts Gallery ... coming soon

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