Choice Housing exhibition welcomes Afghan artist Alina Gawhary

‘Cultures unveiled – inspiring inclusion’ was the theme of a recent event to mark International Women’s Day in Dungannon, and special guest on the day was world-renowned professional artist and amateur musician, Alina Gawhary.

During the event, Alina shared her experience of securing safe passage from Afghanistan to Bangladesh where she was award an art scholarship at a university in 2023.

The event was a collaboration between Choice Housing and First Steps Women’s Centre in Dungannon, and it was supported by the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s ‘Housing for All’ shared housing programme.

With £1.9million having been invested in Fortview, Dungannon as part of a shared housing and five year Good Relations Plan, Deputy Chair of Mid Ulster Council, Councillor Meta Graham, and Choice tenants were among those in attendance.

During her talk, Alina explained how she chose musical instruments as the subjects of her paintings to mark her time in Afghanistan when she was unable to play music due to the ongoing safety situation in her home country.

It also refers to the support she received from music composer, Sadie Harrison.

Group director of Tenant and Client Services at Choice, Carol Ervine said, “Alina’s story is inspiring, and we are pleased to have been part of this event, giving a platform to hear not just about her experiences, but how she has used art and music to communicate her experience, and highlighting key issues impacting women in countries where the place of females is less valued.

“This event is just one example of the many good relation initiatives Choice are involved in across Northern Ireland aimed at developing and sustaining healthy shared communities.”

The Housing Executive’s ‘Housing for All’ programme is a shared housing initiative that aims to develop and sustain healthy local communities that are welcoming, diverse, and inclusive.

Choice plays a key role in the delivery of this programme, creating communities through through diversity and inclusion with seven shared housing schemes across the North, including their shared scheme in Dungannon where an advisory group made up of local community, statutory and elected representatives help to shape development and the delivery of the five year good relations plan for the area.