December 10th marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and a series of events will take place -almost- all around the world. More than ever, human rights and fundamental freedoms have to be respected but sixty years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed at Palais de Chaillot in Paris in 1948, the landmark U.N. document still is sadly not respected fully around the world. This Declaration sets basic minimum international standards for the protection of the rights and freedoms of the individual and I think this 60th anniversary gives to each one of us the opportunity to mobilize ourselves and support it.
I have been following the amazing work done by The Elders and their actions in Zimbabwe, Cyprus, Sudan, so I decided to humbly contribute and support their campaign: Every Human Has Rights. The title of this campaign says it all. I have been supporting many events and organizations over the years but this is the first time I ‘go public’ by creating an original piece of art for this specific occasion. It has been inspired by the many people I know who are working hard for human rights and by the work of so many ‘unknown’ people upholding the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The piece I created is a world map, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the main title, the first article of the Declaration and of course the Every Human Has Rights campaign written -almost- everywhere. No World of Sama decoration, no Sama representations, only a few Sama’s head here and there as punctuation marks on each continent. This piece is refined on purpose because my intention was to bring attention to the meaning carried by the campaign using Art as a media.
A piece of art only exists when it is shown and shared, so I decided to make it ‘live’. Within the next weeks, I will invite 60 members of various organizations and personalities involved into human rights to sign this work, as well as ‘ordinary’ people taking action toward the goals of the Universal Declaration. The ’60 Signers for the 60th Anniversary’ is aimed to promote the Every Human Has Rights campaign and support the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A few days ago, while I was talking about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60th anniversary, I have been asked by a young man: “As an individual, what can I do?“. Mobilize, organize, talk, share, participate… Like I said in this post last year: whether we donate money or time, or ‘only’ contribute to spread the word and awareness about a crisis [or a cause] everything is important, as well as not looking away because we think we are not concerned. Tall oaks from little acorns grow means each and every one of us has the power to get involved, each provides its own value at its own level. My ‘area of specialization’ is art and creativity and I hope this piece of work will be living for many other anniversaries. Choose your own way 😉
Links:
– Every Human Has Rights Campaign Website
– The 60th birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – UN Website
