The focal point of our years work will be an art exhibition entitled ‘Understanding Our Human Rights’. The preparation of this exhibition has already begun and will contain the following elements:

• A film documentary
• A photography display
• A mirror used to show how different members of society can have diverse impressions of certain people
• A presentation by the Regional Union of Young Scholars and the human rights organisation Erkhe on the campaign for the rehabilitation of Buryat land
• An exhibition of various works of art by the youth of Ulan Ude
• A wall which allows everybody to explain what they believe human rights mean

When all these aspects of the project have been completed the exhibition will begin to tour the whole of Buryatia for a ten month period. The exhibition will begin in Ulan Ude in October in the city’s Youth Theatre and will then be displayed in other cities and towns around Buryatia. Throughout the year SCG will be assisted by the Youth Ministry of Buryatia.

At present a number of our volunteers are attending work camps in Germany on issues such as national minorities, racism and anti-fascism. A number of these volunteers are playing a key role in the execution of this project. Two of the volunteers Mascha Khankunova and Bato Gongaev are responsible for the film documentary. Both Mascha and Bato work in the local media and at present produce a youth program entitled “Neformat” for the local television station TV Com. Mascha and Bato will interview people in Moscow, Novosiberisk, Ulan Ude and Hannover, asking general questions on human rights. These interviews will then be compiled to show how Russian’s and foreigners view human rights in Russia. The final edited version of the film will be screened at the art exhibition.

A photography display is the second part of the exhibition and is been formulated in conjunction with the foundation ‘Without Barriers’ who work with the disabled of Ulan Ude. This photography exhibition focuses mainly on the difficulty that disabled people experience in Ulan Ude on a daily basis. The first article of the UN Declaration of Human Rights states that ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights’, while the twenty second article states that ‘Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country’. Unfortunately in Ulan Ude and other parts of Buryatia these two articles are not upheld. The photography exhibition is designed to highlight the plight and difficulties that the disabled in Buryatia experience everyday of their lives.

The third aspect of the project is a mirror intended to show how different members of society can have diverse impressions of certain people. When looking in the mirror a distorted image of the person is reflected. Those who look in the mirror are asked to question how they perceive the image that is reflected. The hope is that when looking at the reflection people will not see any superficialalities in the person, such as a different skin colour etc, but a person who, as the first article of the UN Declaration of Human Rights states was “ ... born free and equal in dignity and rights.” That they are someone who have been endowned with “... reason and conscienceand should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

Another aspect of the exhibition is a presentation by two organisations the Regional Union of Young Scholars and the human rights organisation Erkhe. These two organisations are raising awareness of the campaign for the rehabilitation of Buryat land, this campaign is explained in full under the section ‘Buryatia 37’.

The exhibition will also display various works of art that were created by the teenagers of Ulan Ude who took part in the camp ‘Understanding Our Human Rights’ at Lake Baikal in July and August. At this camp the children were encouraged to express through art what they believe is meant by the concept human rights.

The final part of the exhibition will be the creation of a wall where, after people have visited the exhibition they will be encouraged to write their opinions on human rights. What they perceive human rights to be, and how they affect the people of Russia in contemporary society. In addition to this, pamphlets with information including the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the constitution of the Russian Federation will be avialable. While the exhibition resides in Ulan Ude, twice weekly evening meetings will be organised where members of SCG will answer any questions that the people of Buryatia may have pertaining to the issue of human rights. We will also have quest speakers from organisations such as the Youth Minisrty, ‘Without Barriers’, the Regional Union of Young Scholars and Erkhe and different meetings.