Children and War exhibition opens at San Jose's Children's Museum
By Marinella Abbondati, Journal Staff Writer

The curating leaves a lot to be desired, but this collection of photographs of children affected by war still manages to be a moving tribute to the smallest and arguably most innocent victims of armed conflict.

The photographs were collected from the archives of the international news agency Reuters and put together to draw attention to the millions of children around the world who are adversely affected by violent conflict. The traveling exhibition, aimed mainly at children themselves, was put together by the International Red Cross committee and is currently touring museums across the globe. It is visiting the 'Museo de los Niños' (Children's Museum) in San Jose until June 30.

Afghan children attend school in a shelled building. Homeless Iraqi children look after each other on the street in the absence of parents or caregivers. Tiny child soldiers brandish guns in Sudan, and a caption reveals that there are currently more than 300,000 child soldiers in the world. Young Salvadorians with faces painted white wear white t-shirts emblazoned with huge black question marks, each one representing a relative who has disappeared.

Like punches in the stomach, the pictures speak for themselves and make for captivating, even teary viewing. Sadly, this seems not to have been taken into account by the exhibition’s curators. The prints themselves are too small and of poor quality. The text alongside these dramatic images is aimed at younger viewers but even so, it is too patronizing. Explanations of facts, figures and international law are perhaps interesting to adults, but exhibits could have been much more engaging.

Where was the mirror for children to look into, with the caption: "Can you picture yourself at school in a shelled building?” Instead, the exhibition's last display asks, "What did you learn today?" The disappointing answer is bound to be: "Not very much."

It is a shame because the photographs are fantastic. The idea behind the exhibition is to make children, and the adults accompanying them, think. This it certainly achieves. However, the lack of creativity and dynamism makes an exhibition that could have been spectacularly moving merely somewhat thought-provoking.