Ethiopia: ‘Her Story’ – When Visual Art Speaks About Migration

When it comes to conveying meaningful information, there was no time that art was replaced by technological innovation. From the time where man used to live in the cave till this digital age, visual art has remained one of the most powerful medium serving as the best means of communication to humankind. Whether it is for political, economic or societal purposes, art remains one of the most effective tools to convey message to target audiences.

For this reason, visual art holds a profound ability to convey the multifaceted realities of migration, particularly the lived experiences of women. Through striking powerful imagery and symbolism, artists can encapsulate the emotional and physical challenges migrant women face, shedding light on their struggles and resilience.”

Lately, an art exhibition titled ‘Her Story’ was held in Addis Ababa, portraying the hardship and the struggles that women pass through in their efforts to improve their lives. Staged at The Space Ethiopia Art Center (formerly Post Gallery) the Exhibition featured a range of visual artworks demonstrating the challenges women face during illegal migration.

In one of the visual arts at the exhibition, effectively featured the challenges women face in their journey. The art piece drawn at a large canvas depicts a visible footprint walking across a desert landscape. At the beginning of the journey, the footprints can easily be seen and defined. However, as the path continues, the footsteps will start to fade away and loss its original print. This painting was made by one of East African female artists to denote the number of women migrants who have perished at the middle of the desert while seeking a better life.

As indicated by the Exhibition’s organizer, Frehiwot Demisse, migration is one of the horrible experiences individual migrants face. This is especially true for women, who took the perilous journey of illegal migration in search of a better life abroad.

“Her Story” was organized to demonstrate the life threatening experiences many women endure during illegal migration, said Frehiwot. The exhibition displayed several photographs that depict the harshest journeys women often face while crossing borders.

According to her, the exhibition showcases visual artworks by six artists from East African countries, and two from Ethiopian artists. “The main theme of the exhibition is to raise global awareness about migration; that migration is a global issue that impacts not only individual migrant but also their respective families and the entire nations as well. Women, particularly from East African countries, are seriously affected by migration because of conflicts and civil wars. Those who migrate illegally through illegal routes are often face gender based violence; including rape, sexual assaults, exploitation, forced labor, and other serious challenges.

Tragically, there are instances that many women lose their lives in the desert which is unbearable for humans, she explained. “These women did not choose the illegal routes because they are adventurers. Rather, they did it because it was the only option they had to transform their own and their families’ lives. Whenever women face life threatening situations that affect their families, they do not hesitate to act. They take whatever steps necessary to rescue the lives of their families; and migration is one of the ways they take to secure a better future and financial stability for their families.

What is more, conflict and internal displacement forces women to look for safer places for themselves and their family. Under these circumstances they may face several forms of challenges, she added.

According to Frehiwot, there is nothing good about war, and, it is women, the elderly and children who are always the victims of all forms of conflict and war. Women are the ones who would be forced to flee from their villages; carrying their children and other members of families.

Whenever we talk about migration, we are not generalizing that every migration ends up with disaster. There are also instances where women successfully arrived at their destination and changed their lives. This shows the commitment of women to create a better future for them and their families.

“The impacts of war and conflict are more severe for women and children than men; and several reasons can be mentioned for this. In addition to the physical vulnerabilities, women are the primary caregivers of their children and senior members of the family. For that reason they could not run freely as men do. This in turn leads them to additional risks: including sexual harassment and other related threats. These challenges are not only war time challenges. They will continue to affect women for the rest of their lives- physically and psychologically. But its intensity is high in times of conflict and war. This was what those East African artists tried to show to the world,” she remarked.

Indeed, these are the day-to-day experiences of women in many East African countries, where conflict and internal displacement are common. As a means to address this challenge, the Ethiopian government is trying to create sustainable peace within its boards. Through its diplomatic efforts, it is encouraging neighboring countries to follow a peaceful dialogue for the sake of their people. What is more, using all available opportunities, the Ethiopian government is facilitating legal migration to those Ethiopian women who want to work abroad, joining hands with countries of destination. It is also hosting hundreds of thousands refugees, creating a safe environment and job opportunities.