Forced to Hope

The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza and Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) are presenting Forced to Hope, an immersive project created by the humanitarian organisation to bring the public closer to the current situation in Sudan through a combination of culture, art and personal testimony. Comprising an exhibition and a virtual reality experience, the project reveals the country's cultural richness—its traditions, music and painting—while also highlighting the dire living conditions faced by millions of people since the outbreak of the conflict more than three years ago. 

The personal story of Mohammed Dafallah, who was forced to flee Darfur and now works as an anesthesia technician with MSF in a refugee camp in Chad, is the focus of the virtual reality experience, which makes use of 3D illustration and 360° video. Created in collaboration with Blit studio, the project also features the artistic contributions of Sudanese painter Rashid Diab and Sudanese-American singer Alsarah, who offer an intimate and human perspective on one of the world's most significant displacement crises.