St. Macartin’s Cathedral in Enniskillen recently homed a special exhibition of works on the theme of peace building and conflict prevention by artist and peace activist Hannah Rose Thomas.

Entitled, ‘Tears of Gold’, the exhibition was hosted by Enniskillen Rotary Club, with the support of Rotary Ireland, to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations and Rotary International’s supporting role in its formation.

Hannah’s work draws on her previous experience organising projects for Syrian refugees in Jordan; Yezidi women in northern Iraq; Royhingya children in refugee camps on the Myanmar borderm and the survivors of Boko Haram and Fulani violence in Northern Nigeria.

Launching on Saturday, June 19, the exhibition ran for a week, closing on Friday, June 26.

Speaking at the launch of the exhibition, Dean Kenneth Hall welcomed Hannah and all others in attendance, who included Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh, Viscount Brookeborough; the President of the Rotary Club in Enniskillen, Heather Ellis; Bishop of Clogher, Ian Ellis; and the Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Errol Thompson.

Dean Hall said: “We are delighted for this opportunity to host such an event in Enniskillen Cathedral, because we prize ourselves here on outreach and we want our building to be open for everyone, regardless of difference or anything else.

“It doesn’t matter what your difference is, you are welcome within the bounds of this cathedral.”

The Bishop of Clogher echoed Dean Hall’s words. He said: “It is very appropriate that the church should be associated with Hannah and with her work, with Rotary, with United Nations, with schools in the district area, and in this creative co-operation to work together with the Syrian community who are in our midst in the district of Fermanagh and Omagh.

“These portraits are of very special women and the portraits as you look at them are captivating and they are very revealing.

“Hannah brings across the women’s undeniable beauty. She brings out their sense of yearning, I think, as you look and also their strength and their dignity in the midst of what can only be described as inhuman and terrifying ordeals.”

The Enniskillen Rotary Club president also spoke at the launch, describing the exhibition as “very timely” and “inspirational”.

She continued: “Hannah has spent a great deal of time with refugee women and children such as the Yezidi women from northern Iraq, Royhingya women in Myanmar and other war-torn parts of the world; places and people we have only heard of.

“Her use of art as a medium to bring their plight to the attention of the world, and their dedication to enable refugees to use art as a means of self-expression, is amazing but we must not forget the emotional toll that this can take on one so young.”

Addressing Hannah during his speech at the exhibition launch, the Council Chairman said: “In my humble opinion, your art speaks so eloquently on behalf of your subjects.

“Hannah, we’re delighted to host this wonderful exhibition in our district, and I would like to congratulate Enniskillen Rotary Club supported by Rotary Ireland in securing this exhibition.”

Speaking about her journey using art as a tool to share the stories of refugees, Hannah said: “It all began when I was living in Jordan as an Arabic student in 2014.

“I had the opportunity to organise art projects with Syrian refugees for the UN refugee agency. This experience opened my eyes to the magnitude of the refugee crisis confronting our world today.”

She explained that while she was living in Jordan, she began painting some of the portraits of the refugees that she met “to show the people behind the global crisis, whose personal stories are otherwise shrouded by statistics”.

She continued: “It was to share their stories that I began painting their portraits.

“Since then I have had the great privilege of organising art projects for Yezidi women who escaped ISIS captivity in Iraqi Kurdistan, for Royhingya refugees in Bangladeshi camps, and survivors of sexual violence at the hands of Boko Haram and Fulani militants in Northern Nigeria.

“For the art projects in Iraqi Kurdistan and Nigeria, I taught the women how to paint their self-portraits, as a way to share their stories with the rest of the world.

“The art projects were to create a safe space for the women to share their stories, for telling our stories helps individuals to integrate traumatic memories and gradually begin to heal and reclaim their dignity.”

During her speech Hannah shared a poem written by a young girl named Fatima who took part in one of her projects, which was included in the exhibition.

The exhibition launch was also streamed via St. Macartin’s YouTube channel.

Hannah, who is a UNESCO scholar and is currently studying for a PhD at Glasgow University, also hosted a series of art workshops for the families of Syrian refugees living in Enniskillen and Omagh.