Not every country in Africa is the same. Not all of them are at war.

Not every African child is a refugee. In their everyday reality and in their dreams, in their struggling and in their flourishing, the stories of Africa's children are diverse and ever-changing.

The boy who left Sierra Leone at age seven with his mother and five siblings is different from the boy who left Guinea at 12 – and now he’s the young adult who just completed his schooling at St Augustine’s College in Cairns.

Peter Lansana was the winner of the Tanks Curator’s Award for his charcoal drawings of child soldiers in the Energy Exhibition 2007. The award encourages talented year 12 students to get started in a career in the arts with a promise of a solo exhibition at the Tanks during the following year.

Peter’s portraits are disturbingly engaging with a surprisingly mature graphic technique that pulls the viewer into the lives of his subjects, offering insight into the lifestyles of the young and African. Dis na di stori for we pekim dem (These are the stories of our children).

We Pekim Dem – A Portrait of an African Child is launched this Friday, May 30 from 6pm at Tanks Arts Centre. The exhibition runs until June 29.

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