An exhibition of portraits of sunny children (children with Down syndrome) from Tajikistan, dubbed “The Invisible Rays of Sun of Tajikistan”, was held in Teddington, an affluent area of South West London, last week.
Organized by Tahmina Hakimova, the exhibition took place at the Normansfield Theatre, which is held in care by the Langdon Down Center Trust.
Tahmina Hakimiova, who is mother of sunny child, says she named the exhibition “The Invisible Rays…” because children with Down syndrome cannot be met in the streets of Dushanbe. “Their parents are ashamed of them or try to protect them, and therefore, they do not let them out of the house,” Ms. Hakimova said.
The Normansfield Theatre is on the site of Normansfield Hospital, which was a self-sufficient Victorian hospital complex run by Dr. John Langdon Down. The hospital was where Doctor Langdon Down conducted the pioneering research into the syndrome now known as Down's Syndrome. The theatre was constructed in 1877 and completed in 1879 for the use of the patients.
The theatre is held in care by the Langdon Down Centre Trust. It hosts productions by many different groups.
