Migrant Life through Children's Eyes

An annual exhibition of art and handicrafts by the children of Burmese migrants in Thailand has found a regular place on the cultural calendar of Chiang Mai.

The fifth annual exhibition, organized by Studio Xang, opened at the Lanna Cultural Museum in the northern Thai city on May 8 and ran until the end of the month.

“We wanted to show the abilities of these young people and also make Thais aware of them,” said one of the organizers.

“I asked my father to bring me,” said one young Thai visitor, attracted by the possibility of comparing his own work with the art of migrant children.

Nearly 300 works were on display, some of them created by children living in refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese border.

Studio Xang organizes courses for migrant children, while volunteer teachers from nongovernmental organizations also hold classes in refugee camps.