Art Exhibition for Human Rights - New York

NEW YORK - March 19, 2014 - PRLog -- The Nepalese community of New York, in solidarity with the thousands of enslaved and over 300 deceased Nepalese migrant workers in Qatar, is organizing a 2 day Art/Photo Exhibition to raise awareness into the atrocities migrant workers face in Qatar.  The dates for the exhibiton: Saturday, 29th March 2014 and Sunday, 30th March 2014.

The featured Artists:

Hitman Gurung - Currently a lecturer in Wigen and Leigh College (WLC Nepal) Kathmandu, he is also the co-founder of an art space named Artree Nepal. His art work symbolizes the synthesis of the present contrast in society. And, he narrates socio-political issues through different forms of art.

Milan Rai - The founder of the concept of "White Butterflies", Milan uses white butterflies in his installations as a symbol of pure transformation , He believes that every individual, like a butterfly, has the power to transform themselves and when this transformation happens collectively, we can observe miracles in their truest form.

Kunsang Gyatso - The son of a traditional Buddhist artist, Gyatso's paintings are colorful, large-scale abstract landscapes, drawing influences from Rothko, de Kooning, Buddhist thangka art and Brooklyn artist Jason Sho Greene. His work is a vivid abstraction of his deeply spiritual upbringing.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to Heart-Beat, an NGO that works with street children in Nepal.  Heart-Beat will then donate the funds to Committed, an NGO that works with the families of the deceased Nepalese migrant workers in Qatar.

Details of the event:
Venue: Himalayan Yak Restaurant, 72-20 Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights, Queens, NY - Via the MTA, Take the 7, E, F, V, R to Roosevelt Ave or 74 Street.
Date: Saturday, March 29th and Sunday, March 30
Time: 11:00am - 6:00pm
Suggested Donation: $20 (Or any amount toward the cause).
Contact: Karma Tenzing Nyangmi (Phone: +1 718 801 3069; Email: karma.tenzing@gmail.com)

A brief history into the atrocities migrant workers face in Qatar:

There are an estimated 1.2 million migrant workers in Qatar, mostly builders, and the country is expected to ship at least 500,000 more in preparation for FIFA's 2022 World Cup. Earlier last year, the Guardian stated that during the period from June 2014 until early August 2014, an average of more than one Nepalese migrant worker died per day. At this rate, International Labor Organization (ILO) warns that more than 4,000 migrant workers could die between now and the start of the World Cup in 2022 unless drastic measures are taken to provide better living and working conditions. Even among perfectly healthy young men, mostly within their 20s-30s, heart attacks are a major cause of death along with accidents at the construction sites. Workers had been often denied access to drinking water in extreme heat, had not been paid in months, beaten on a daily basis and had their passports confiscated to prevent them from leaving the country- in effect enslaving them.

The chain of modern day slavery and exploitation leads from the labor recruiters in Nepal's poorest villages, where men are promised jobs and salaries to help support their families left back home, to the governments of Nepal and Qatar.  Also equally involed are the officials of soccer's governing body, the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA). The overriding image here is one where the wealthiest of the world's nations takes advantage of one of the most poverty stricken countries in order to get ready for the world's most popular sporting tournament, the soccer World Cup.

Learn more about the events leading to the modern day slavery crisis in Qatar and ways you can support the petition to stop the atrocities: http://www.change.org/petitions/end-slavery-of-nepalese-migrant-workers-in-qatar (http://www.change.org/petitions/end-slavery-of-nepalese-m...)

Related information can be read at:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/25/revealed-qat... (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/25/revealed-qat...)
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/video/2013/... (http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/video/2013/...)

Members of the press and others who have further questions about the contents of this specific press release are encouraged to contact Karma Tenzing Nyangmi via the information provided below.

Contact Person name: Karma Tenzing Nyangmi

Contact Telephone Number:  +1-718-801-3069

Contact Email:  karma.tenzing@gmail.com