When you think of teenagers, you might think that theyāre just a group of aimless kids trying to be adults by doing everything wrong. The only change they want to achieve in their lives is their parents postponing their curfew a bit. If you go to the Artkhana headquarters, however, youāll find a whole different type of teenagers. Teenagers who have solid life goals and want to change their surroundings.
Artkhana is a youth oriented NGO, founded by a young artist called Sara Gaafar, which aims to empower the artists through giving them the platform and the space to create and showcase art. It also does charity through art awareness and teaching art to the less fortunate. The organization is run by committed volunteers and is funded by exhibition, selling products they create, and the exploration trips they hold. We sat down with Nour ElDean, Vice President and Art Director, to know more about the project.
Who are your members and how can someone join?
Anyone can join. Weāre not limited to art teams only, we have technical teams who are responsible for all of the office hunting, venues, marketing, public relations, finances and organizing. It definitely doesnāt stop at just arts. After our annual recruitment, we officially have about 200 members. They can join by keeping up with our Facebook or Instagram page. Weāre always posting when we have any events for people to attend or whenever we need volunteers or recruits.
Whatās the average age of the members?Ā
Iād say from 15 to 20, the average would be mostly 17s.
Being that most of you are young, do you think you might be a bit too optimistic, and did you ever think that when youāre older you might think it was a waste of time?
Definitely not, we have members who are around 22 who are excited as heck when it comes to events and participating. We also have members who are 14 but are going to wow you with how much they know, Iād say weāre all growing up in amazing ways.
How did people react to the concept? Were they accepting or not?Ā
They werenāt not accepting but they were kind of worried about us being disappointed and realizing that the change might be too big for us. Some parents were definitely against the idea because some people are still against studying and practicing art, even though weāre in the 21st century.
Many view art AS only for the privileged, what do you think about that and how can this change?
That is so very untrue, because art has always been and will always be a method of expressing yourself. It cleanses your soul and gives you much more of a chance than society ever did a chance to become yourself. Iām aware it sounds very poetic and all but it was never about social classes (privilege wise) or talent, it has always been about the purpose and how much you believe it is capable of making a huge impact on your life. I know those words wonāt change many peopleās perspectives but if they see the art colleges and see the huge gap between the social classes, theyād understand how a lot of people do believe in the true powers of art. Art has definitely managed to unite us.
Do you think you will really make a difference on how Egyptians view art and its importance?
I think weāre already changing perspectives. Take my parents for example. They used to think it was a hobby and that Iād eventually grow out of it. Now I happen to go to a good art school and Iām doing the things Iām passionate about. They allowed that. They believe in what I do when I tell them it brings me peace and joy. Itās definitely a long road because the number of people who arenāt educated about what art really does is much more than those who know, but at the rate weāre going I have hopes people are bound to be educated about it some day. And it is truly a blessing to witness so much change, Iād only hope that growing up means more passion because with this team, thereās literally nothing such as a waste of time.
Many might criticize you and say you could have educated the children real knowledge instead of art. What do you have to say about that?Ā
Art education is as important as any kind of education, except art might be slightly more important. We witness art in everything: in science, in numbers and in languages. We consider a lot of things art, if not everything. Iād say it gives you a true definition of who you are as a person and what youāre interested in doing or what kind of lifestyle youād like to lead. It gives you the chance to be a better person, to make mistakes and to learn, to have morals and to understand the true meaning of craziness.
What are your plans for the future?Ā
Weāre hoping to host street exhibitions and give people a glimpse of what we can make of ourselves. We can make ourselves much more peaceful and happy by practicing what we love. We hope to educate more children about how theyāre capable of making art, and how itās going to affect their personalities for life, and definitely hoping to paint more local and unknown areas in order to give them a little bit of hope through the colours and psychological aspect of painting. Long term plans remain too dreamy and too broad, so Iād just say letās leave it as a bit of a secret until it starts happening.