Mohamed Jokhadar shows his artworks in an interview with Xinhua at the Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan, June 17, 2021. Mohamed Jokhadar, a 35-year-old Syrian artist who lives in Jordan's Zaatari Camp for Refugees, uses his painting skills not only to restore hope among Syrian refugees but also to educate and empower them to realize a better future. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)
AMMAN, June 20 -- Mohamed Jokhadar, a 35-year-old Syrian artist who lives in Jordan's Zaatari Camp for Refugees, uses his painting skills not only to restore hope among Syrian refugees but also to educate and empower them to realize a better future.
The Syrian artist, who fled the violence in his hometown of Homs to Jordan in 2013, has been diligently working on painting murals and portraits with the aim of reviving hope among the refugees and drawing a colorful and brighter future for his fellow refugees.
For Jokhadar, painting is not merely a hobby, but rather a tool of empowerment and education for the refugees, he said in an interview with Xinhua on the occasion of World Refugee Day.
His drawings focus on issues of vital importance to refugees including depicting the life back in Syria and the destruction witnessed in his country in light of the crisis and violence in Syria over the past years.
His artworks shed light on topics such as the importance of education, and the need to save water and protect environment.
"In my drawings, I also focus on depicting a better reality and a brighter future for the refugees, as well as the nostalgia," he said, adding that he focuses on drawing murals that seek to raise awareness among some 80,000 refugees living in the camp.
The father of three, who has 17 years of experience in drawing, said when he entered the camp he became keen to drawing murals as he believes they can reach to a larger number of people and can be used to showcase a specific issue in the society and have a larger impact in raising the society's awareness.
"My drawings also seek to educate the Syrian children about their country and the historical attractions in Syria, so they know what Syria is like," he said, adding that his artworks deliver a message out of his responsibility to his fellow refugees.
When arriving at the camp, the artist first opened a barbershop, but his passion for art was strong and thus he continued to follow his passion and started training children and young people.
The Syrian refugee said his skills were enriched and honed as some of his artworks were featured in exhibitions in Jordan and other countries with the help of UNHCR.
Moreover, Jokhadar held online training courses for the refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the content of the training was the basics of painting and how to enable the refugees to express themselves through painting.
"I teach children ... thus enabling them to express their feelings by painting," he said, adding that training given to the children might help boost their morale and get rid of negative energy.
The Syrian artist said he draws a brighter and more positive future, and encourages the youths at the camp to use the art to depict what they hope to achieve.
"I love to give ... I gave my knowledge in training to others so they might be able to come out with their own image of reality and showcase the future they want in a better way than me," Jokhadar added.
