The artist who started out drawing war as a child refugee
Kosovan Petrit Halilaj had no idea that the drawings he did as a child in a refugee camp in Albania would be seen all around the world and would lead to a meeting with Kofi Annan.
Petrit Halilaj was born in Kosovo in 1986 and grew up in the small town of Runik. He always loved drawing and had a rare talent for it. When war broke out in Kosovo and Serbian troops moved into their hometown, Petrit and his family had to flee, eventually finding sanctuary in a refugee camp in Albania. It was there, in 1999, that Petrit met the Italian psychologist Giacomo 'Angelo' Poli who encouraged the children to communicate the traumas they had experienced, through drawing. Using only felt tip pens, Petrit's drawings ended up being beamed all over the world. They even caught the attention of the then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan who asked to meet Petrit during a visit to the camp. Many years on, Petrit is now a highly acclaimed artist. He recently exhibited work based on some of the drawings from the refugee camp, at Tate St Ives in Cornwall in the South West of England. The show is called Very volcanic over this green feather.
The clip you heard came from Swedish broadcaster SVT
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producers: Andrea Kennedy & June Christie
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
(Photo: Petrit Halilaj and Dr Giacomo Poli, 1999. Credit: Giacomo Poli)
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