Hurriyah Issue 3
the team Hurriyah is the zine produced by youth in Al Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan. This project is a partnership with Studio Syria, Qatar Foundation International and Three Chairs for Refugees and a part of the service-learning initiative Refugee Story Circle. Produced and edited by Elizabeth Norville, Jean Bradbury, Jennifer Geist, Wai Chum, and Priscila Bellini. Translated by Nadeem Al-Abdallah, Lina Hayel, Anas Ghanim, and Abdullah Al-Jandali.
Special thanks to
Introduction The Refugee Story Circle (RSC) is a student-intiated project supported by the Qatar Foundation International (QFI) and 3 Chairs for Refugees. Led by Priscila Bellini, a student journalist from São Paulo, Brazil, and Wai Chum, a public health and nursing student from Seattle, USA and joined by Abeedah diab, a high school junior in Doha, Qatar and Débora Komukai, a journalist in São Paulo, Brazil. Hurriyah is our collaborative response to learning about the hardships faced by young refugees, and their need for acknowledgement, solidarity and friendship. With the support of QFI, this project took us to the National Service-Learning Conference in Washington DC, in April 2015. We had the honor of leading an educational workshop to raise awareness about the Syrian crisis and to present artworks created by refugees at Al-Zaatari (thanks to Studio Syria). This attracted enthusiastic responses from the audience. Together with artworks from Al-Zaatari and audience responses was born this zine, Hurriyah. Hurriyah is a platform for dialogue between Syrian refugees at Al-Zaatari camp and youth from around the world. The idea is that refugee youth can make their voices heard through storytelling of their personal experience, while youth from around the world can respond with letters of encouragement. We, as ordinary citiznes, hope to bypass conventional media outlets to build a bridge of solidarity with our Syrian friends, and to connect with each other first-hand on a human level with respect and diginity.
Artworks
drawn by refugees in Al-Zaatari camp
Refugee artwork: A landscape painting of Al-Zaatari, still and rugged, and overcrowded with caravans and makeshift tents.
Another painting drawn by a refugee, depicting the everyday desolate landscape of the makeshift city of Al-Zaatari, enclosed behind barbed wires and exposed bare under the blazing sun.
Refugee artwork: A swing set and a IRD flag (International Relief & Development) against a vast desert extending toward a flat horizon in the background. Refugee artwork paying tribute to a fellow refugee and an iconic symbol of the refugee crisis: Aylan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian boy who drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe to seek asylum and a normal life. This watercolor painting drawn by a Syrian refugee in Al-Zaatari camp, is a powerful statement that reflects refugees’ full awareness of what goes on in the world, as well as what risks lie ahead in the journey venturing beyond camp enclosure and war zones. Between taking risks and staying in a limbo, is a hard choice.
the messages
from youth around the world to refugees
To the dearest people to my heart, May Allah grant you success and goodness in life and the hereafter. Remember that “for indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.” Everything happening in this life is a test from Allah SWT, so do not grieve because things are surely going to get better, as they are in the hands of our God. All of us in America are praying for you. By God’s will you will return to your home, the conditions will improve, and you will be reunited with your family and whom you love from every country. May Allah unite us in Paradise. We love you ever so dearly. May this simple message brighten up your day and remind you that there are people from all around the world praying for you.
Peace be upon you. I hope that you return to your homeland in the future.
In the name of god, the most gracious, the most merciful The great people of Syria, hard times will eventually pass, and you will go back to your beloved country Syria. What you are going through is a long dark night, which will be followed, ultimately, by everlasting
You have our support and prayers. Our greetings from:
Patience, people of Syria, as hardships seek patience. Allah SWT said “For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.”
Oh people of Syria, God’s relief is near
To the loves of my heart, From you dear friend, Nora from America
Want to help? If you would like to support the continuation of this zine, Hurriyah, please consider donating to Studio Syria at http://www.studiosyria.org/. This zine cannot be made without Studio Syria’s extraordinary work. Please also consider supporting any humanitarian relief organizations or projects that you might find in your local area. Every act of generosity and kindness makes a lasting impact.
Suggested organizations: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) www,unhcr.org/syria/
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/syria
World Food Program | Syria http://www.wfp.org/emergencies/syria
Save the Children/Syria
http://www.savethechildren.org/syria
Médecins Sans Frontières | Syria http://www.msf.org/syria
Syrian Arab Red Crescent http://sarc.sy/