{"id":441,"date":"2016-07-12T16:21:22","date_gmt":"2016-07-12T16:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/?p=441"},"modified":"2022-03-25T18:36:46","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T18:36:46","slug":"art-amid-the-pines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/12\/art-amid-the-pines\/","title":{"rendered":"Art amid refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Iris Samuels<\/strong> | 7\/11\/16<\/em><\/p>\n

Art scene: A term evoking the gallery-lined streets of lower Manhattan, or the resplendent\u00a0museums of Paris.<\/p>\n

Then there is Ritsona, a refugee camp an hour north of Athens. Worlds apart, its scene is vibrant, nonetheless.<\/p>\n

Home to 600 migrants, mostly from Syria and Iraq, Ritsona at first seems a bustling summer camp. Children run barefoot while cicadas\u00a0hum in surrounding pines.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The camp is operated\u00a0by non-governmental organizations, such as the Swedish organization\u00a0I AM YOU<\/a>. It is staffed by young volunteers\u00a0in hipster garb who greet residents with a laid back \u201cAhlan\u201d and join them for afternoon tea.<\/p>\n

After trekking hundreds of miles from war-ravaged homes,\u00a0Ritsona’s residents\u00a0hope for a brighter future.\u00a0But waiting out the months-long asylum process amid the sea of tents leaves little to do but nap or sit idle.<\/p>\n

Ismail Noh, a former Iraqi economics student, at first appears as languid as the rest, sitting under\u00a0a canopy in a polo and jeans, staring at his smartphone. It is both entertainment and the only connection with friends back home. Though his English is\u00a0excellent, he speaks little.<\/p>\n

In truth, Ismail has become one of\u00a0Ritsona’s artists. His younger sister, Seve, points to a small painted shed and explains in broken sentences that its design is the work of her brother. Ismail nods shyly.<\/p>\n

The shed\u2019s wall shows a man walking grimly against a full moon, depicting the treacherous journey these refugees endured from Iraq to Turkey and, finally, Greece. Ismail has already painted two murals on the camp’s concrete structures.<\/p>\n

\"Mural

Mural painted by Ismail Noh in Ristona Refugee Camp. (Iris Samuels)<\/p><\/div>\n

Seve runs into her tent and returns with a stack of three paintings.\u00a0Ismail looks at his creations with a sad smile. The paints and canvases, he says, were given to him by volunteers.<\/p>\n

One depicts an exotic bird. Another the silhouette of a man\u00a0carrying a sack and holding the hand of a child, against a setting sun. The art of escape.<\/p>\n

\"Seve

Seve admires her brother’s paintings. (Iris Samuels)<\/p><\/div>\n

A few yards away, along a path hugging the camp\u2019s perimeter, three men sit in a circle in the shade of pine trees.<\/p>\n

Adnan, a refugee from Iraq, holds an oud, a guitar-like instrument. He strums while Dilgin, a Syrian, sings. They smile, welcoming company. As music fills the air, their bodies relax.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_1179.m4v<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

(Video of music)<\/p>\n

Before leaving home, Adnan was a professional musician. Dilgin, who fled from the Syrian city of Aleppo earlier this year, used to make\u00a0a living singing and drawing.<\/p>\n

Dilgin reluctantly agrees\u00a0to show\u00a0his artwork.\u00a0One drawing depicts a lone child at the entrance to his tent, tears on his face. The subject, Dilgin says, is a boy from the camp.<\/p>\n

\"Dilgin

Dilgin displays his drawing of a child in the camp. (Iris Samuels)<\/p><\/div>\n

Another depicts a smiling girl. These are the only two drawings he’s completed since arriving in Greece in March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Dilgin

Dilgin displays a portrait\u00a0of a girl. (Iris Samuels)<\/p><\/div>\n

In a crumbling structure nearby, another of Ismail\u2019s murals comes into view: a world map, overshadowed by a vast eye shedding a\u00a0tear. \u00a0A\u00a0watchful, pleading eye, demanding attention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Iris Samuels | 7\/11\/16 Art scene: A term evoking the gallery-lined streets of lower Manhattan, or the resplendent\u00a0museums of Paris. Then there is Ritsona, a refugee camp an hour north of Athens. Worlds apart, its scene is vibrant, nonetheless. Home to 600 migrants, mostly from Syria and Iraq, Ritsona at first seems a bustling<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/DSC_0164.jpg?fit=3008%2C2000&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7wyBy-77","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":819,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/08\/03\/the-classroom-cure\/","url_meta":{"origin":441,"position":0},"title":"The Classroom Cure","author":"Joe Stephens","date":"August 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Greece\u2019s child refugees are at risk of becoming a \u2018lost generation.\u2019 Is education the answer? By Hayley Roth and Iris Samuels \u00a0ATHENS, Greece -- Two young boys with skinny frames, buzzed hair and bright t-shirts jostled beneath the hot Greek sun. 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As of July, United Nations statistics show that the agreement has cut arrivals by sea from the peak\u00a0of 210,000 people a month\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lesbos"","block_context":{"text":"Lesbos","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/category\/lesbos\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":588,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/25\/moria\/","url_meta":{"origin":441,"position":2},"title":"Behind the wire","author":"ab22","date":"July 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Amanda Blanco For those trapped inside of the place known as Moria, razor wire doubles as clothesline. Jeans and t-shirts drape over barbed\u00a0spindles, and makeshift tents crafted\u00a0from blankets use the fence as support. Located on the Greek island of Lesbos, Moria was established in late September 2013 as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_0694.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_0694.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_0694.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_0694.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_0694.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":573,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/19\/island-hospitality-refugee-style\/","url_meta":{"origin":441,"position":3},"title":"Island hospitality, refugee style","author":"amark","date":"July 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alexandra Markovich The office of the mayor of Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos island, overlooks the Aegean Sea. Huge windows open onto the city\u2019s port, where discarded boats that once carried refugees to the island are still docked. Less than 10\u00a0miles separate the island from Turkey\u2019s coast. 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The steps leading to the ancient Parthenon are worn slick from the generations of tourists who have come to marvel at one of the world\u2019s most impressive landmarks. It\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"A child at play in the refugee camp at Piraeus Port","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/DSC_0495-600x399.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/DSC_0495-600x399.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/DSC_0495-600x399.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":602,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/23\/lesbos-the-waiting-game\/","url_meta":{"origin":441,"position":5},"title":"Lesbos: The Waiting Game","author":"hroth","date":"July 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Hayley Roth Take a walk down the main street of Mytilene, the capital of the Greek island of Lesbos, and you\u2019ll see freshly-scrubbed storefronts, colorful awnings and potted plants. Hotels, restaurants and travel agencies face the placid waters of the Aegean. Docked boats scrape against the sidewalks. Shopkeepers lounge\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/72961c3c-c533-4a6e-a9cc-00f2ec87a99c.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/72961c3c-c533-4a6e-a9cc-00f2ec87a99c.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/72961c3c-c533-4a6e-a9cc-00f2ec87a99c.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":883,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441\/revisions\/883"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}