6 February 2011 - More than 300 children showed off their photos and drawings, performed plays with puppets, climbed a six meter high wall and zipped around on skateboards at an exhibition in Kabul to show how Afghan youth perceive their country and what they hope for the future.

Included in the exhibits were laminated photos of Ghazni stadium, Kabul River or Nader Khan Hill drawn over with markers to show a more peaceful environment called “Ideal Kabul.”

“I drew a flower,” said a seven year old girl in English looking for her art piece on a wall filled with sketches of flying birds, suns, grass and smiling, skating stick figures.

The Youth, Arts, Peace (YAP!) Exhibition is the outcome of workshops organized by the non-governmental organization Skateistan between November 2010 and January 2011, with funding from the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) in celebration of the International Year of Youth.

Among the broader themes in the art projects were the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of goals that world leaders, including President Hamid Karzai, agreed to meet by 2015.

The MDGs were broken down into more relatable ideas for the participating children, some as young as five. Among the results, comic strips with sub-themes on education and drug addiction.

Each project was designed so that children with low literacy could take part and learn new skills.

For some children who attend Skateistan’s classes, this is the only opportunity to receive schooling and take part in sport.

“My family is very happy I come here because I can learn,” said a 13-year-old girl in broken English and Dari. Earlier, she had caught air while skateboarding – in a head scarf and other traditional Afghan clothes – on Skateistan’s ramps.

Skateistan is featured in the latest edition of UNAMA’s Afghan Update, click to read more.

By UNAMA