The UNESCO Culture Sector has launched the UNESCO Little Artists Exhibition in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign is aimed at schoolchildren between 6 and 12 years old and encourages them to create and share drawings and artworks of a UNESCO World Heritage site that matters to them. The initiative aims to motivate children to learn more about World Heritage sites and the stories behind them.
As we approach the annual celebration of African World Heritage Day on 5 May, UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa is reaching out to school children to participate in a new global campaign UNESCO Little Artists Exhibition, which offers an opportunity to showcase the 34 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Eastern Africa region ranging from the iconic Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to Lamu Old Town in Kenya.
As a preventive measure to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of children are staying home from school as communities are on lockdown and most World Heritage sites are closed to the public. UNESCO’s new campaign aims to turn the confinement into an opportunity for youth to learn, create and discover about the natural and cultural heritage sites in their country, in the region, and around the globe. This could be a World Heritage site in their own community, a memory from a recent family vacation, or a place they saw in a book, movie or TV show. To learn more about the stories behind each World Heritage site, children are invited to explore the World Heritage List on the UNESCO website.
The UNESCO Little Artists Exhibition invites children aged 6 to 12 years old to draw a UNESCO World Heritage site they consider important, and share it with UNESCO from now until 17 May 2020. Children are invited to publish a picture and short description of the artwork inspired by a World Heritage site on Instagram, including the artist’s name, age and country, using the hashtag #ShareOurHeritage and tagging @unesco. UNESCO will be exhibiting a selection of these drawings, chosen for their artistry, originality and diversity, on the UNESCO website.
We hope that through this initiative, children will be able to express their creativity during this difficult time and learn more about the world’s extraordinary cultural and natural heritage—especially those sites in the Eastern Africa region.
Teachers, including from members of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network, are encouraged to support and share this initiative among their networks.