Children confined to their homes under
lockdown are drawing what they miss most – friends at school,
grandparents, football and green open spaces.
Regardless of where they are, the themes are often the same. From Tokyo to Buenos Aires, and New York to Kathmandu,
youngsters have taken to their balconies or front lawns to
display and explain the drawings they have made to Reuters
photographers.
Eight-year-old Reku Matsui in Tokyo has drawn himself between
his grandparents, all three of them smiling together.
"I miss being with my grandmother and my grandfather. Also,
I want to go to my grandmother's house," he said.
His older sister Yaya, 12, has drawn a picture of herself
and a friend. "What I want to do the most right now is hang out
with my friends."
Reku, 8, and Yaya Matsui, 12, stand on the balcony of their home in Tokyo, Japan. Picture: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
In the German town of Bad Honnef, near Bonn, 6-year-old Tom
explains: "I have painted a picture of the house of grandma and
grandpa, because I miss them so much."
Noa, 7, and Tom, 6, sit in front of their house in Bad Honnef, Germany. Picture: Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters
Besides longed-for grandparents, children are also depicting
the sports they miss.
Come, 5, and Lilian, 9, stand in front of their house in Reze, France. Picture: Stephane Mahe/Reuters
Ivan Posta, 8, and brother Vince, 11, who live in the
Hungarian capital Budapest, have drawn huge soccer balls.
A combination picture shows Ivan Posta, 8, Vince Posta, 11, and Vilma Posta, 10, standing on the balcony at their home in Budapest, Hungary. Picture: Bernadett Szabo/Reuters
"I drew a soccer ball, because we can't play football in the
garden as there are trees and bushes everywhere," said Vince.
Thousands of kilometres away in the Nigerian city of Lagos,
11-year-old Olatunji Adebayo has also drawn a huge soccer ball.
Sofiat Kolawole, 8, Olatunji Adebayo, 11, and Amira Akanbi 11, pose for a photograph in front of their house in Lagos, Nigeria. Picture: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters
"I miss playing football with my friends before the lockdown
... I feel sad about the lockdown," he said.
Half-siblings Dominik Novak, 9 and Filip Kasuba, 6, standing on the balcony at their house in Nove Jirny, Czech Republic. Picture: David W Cerny/Reuters
NATURE
Flowers, woods and green spaces also feature prominently.
Juan, 8, and Mateo, 10, on the balcony at their home in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Picture: Agustin Marcarian/Reuters
Bashierah Moos, 5, and Hanaa Moos, 9, stand by a window at their house in Cape Town. Picture: Sumaya Hisham/Reuters
Arthur Klein, 9, and Zoe Klein, 6, stand in the garden of their home in Hombourg-Haut, eastern France. Picture: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
Jane Hassebroek, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, said: "I
chose to draw my local park because it's a place me and my
friends can hang out with each other away from school and home
and just have fun."
Jane Hassebroek, 13, standing outside her home in Brooklyn, New York. Picture: Caitlin Ochs/Reuters
"This lockdown has made me feel pretty trapped because I
live in New York City so it is hard to social distance when
there are so many people around," the 13-year-old added.
Noalynne, 9, and Annelou, 10, stand by a window inside their home in Lent, Netherlands. Picture: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters
Sandithi Illeperuma is 14 and lives in Sri Lanka's capital
Colombo.
In her picture, a girl sits alone in the bottom right corner
with her knees up to her chin, wearing a face mask. At the top,
a group of female figures in swirling skirts dance together,
enjoying themselves.
Sandithi Illeperuma, 14, stands in front of her home in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Picture: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters
"Before the lockdown, I used to draw fun and creative stuff.
But after the lockdown… I started to draw the things I missed
the most… I draw my emotions. It has made me feel very lonely
because I'm the only child," she added.
Arianna Sorresina, 7, stands on her balcony at her home in Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto, Italy. Picture: Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters
Some youngsters have tackled the coronavirus.
Nipoon Kitkrailard, 10, who lives in Thailand's Samut Prakan
province, has drawn the virus as a monster coming to invade the
world, but medical workers and items including hand gel and face
masks hold it back.
Nipoon Kitkrailard, 10, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that he drew during the coronavirus outbreak, as he stands by a window at his home in Samut Prakan, Thailand. Picture: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters
In China, where the outbreak of the new coronavirus began,
and where the lockdown has been lifted first, 11-year-old Li
Congchen in Beijing has made an intricate series of drawings
showing the virus arriving on a "bat aircraft", people willing
to give their lives to stand up to it, and in the end human
beings defeating it with "vaccine guns".
Li Congchen, 11, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that he drew during the coronavirus outbreak, as he stands by a window at his grandparent's home in Beijing, China. Picture: Tingshu Wang/Reuters
Reuters
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