Empowering refugees through art: finding community in Budapest
Apart from Hungarian Interchurch Aid’s own Support Centre, HIA also supports several other faith-based organisations and initiatives through ACT Alliance’s Ukraine appeal. The cosy space of the Lutheran Church of Hungary called “Dévai Fogadó” is one of them. The cooperation dates back to the first days of war and has been ongoing ever since, much thanks to their unwavering support of refugees from Ukraine. The different courses offered by the organisation became meeting points for the people who’ve lost most of their social safety net, forming a community out of lonely individuals.
That is not a coincidence either: whether refugees participate in the weekly beauty salon, the Hungarian and English language courses, the community choir or the visual art course they also come here for the community. Olga, the teacher leading the visual art course is a reputable artist from Kyiv, she has her own studio in Budapest already. But today’s class is not about professional forms of art, the goal is to convey the freedom of artistic expression to her refugee-students. During the classes they channel their inner child, opening up creative depths previously unknown to them.
“It’s a liberating feeling! You need to love the inner child, and think of drawing like children do. They can take a piece of paper without fear of being criticized. Painting and drawing are processes where everything you’ve done is already good. It is your vision” – says Irina, a participant who fled to Hungary back in April 2022. She originally started attending English classes, but upon hearing about the visual art course, she joined immediately.
The significance of these activities cannot be understated – for Irina, they are also much more than a place where she turns off the outside world. “I always liked drawing, but never showed it to anyone – I kept it at home. Here I feel like home, too.” These classes are not only about illustration, either. “I’ve met people here who I now call friends, we share common interests. When we arrived [to Budapest], we didn’t really have anybody, but now we are joined as a family. With them we go to museums, and keep each other posted about upcoming events in the city.”
The activity supported by Hungarian Interchurch Aid is also a meeting point for refugees of different age groups: 84-year old Zinaida fled Ukraine when her house was damaged by aerial attacks. She didn’t know anyone in Budapest, but through Dévai Fogadó, she found a community. “There are wonderful people here, they treated us with great warmth, they offered us clothes, food, everything we need. But despite this, we were all depressed by this war, so they offered us psychological help and asked whether we wanted to attend their different courses. I chose drawing and the choir.”
Far from home and family, Zinaida needed motivation to go out and do something. “For us, this is not just an introduction to art, but also psychological help, salvation from depression. After what I went through, I only wanted to cover myself with a blanket and stay in my bed, but here I can feel life again. I’m not very good at drawing, but when I draw I forget about all the bad things. I hope the courses continue, because it is where I meet with my newfound friends” – says the elderly woman with a smile.
Participants, like Irina and Zinaida, find solace and community in these classes, extending beyond art to forge friendships and combat isolation. HIA’s and Dévai Fogadó’s initiative serves as a crucial meeting point for refugees of various ages, offering both creative expression and essential psychological support by providing a place where refugees can finally express themselves freely.
