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Syria: The Frontlines of Displacement
October 27, 2022 @ 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Free
ABOUT THIS EVENT:
Join the co-editors of Witnesses to War: The Children of Syria, Karam Foundation, ART WORKS Projects, and event sponsor, Howard Conant, Jr., for a discussion and exhibition of acclaimed photojournalist Bassam Khabieh’s nearly decade long project, Witnesses to War: The Children of Syria.
Khabieh (joining via live feed) and Lina Sergie Attar, CEO and Founder of the Karam Foundation, will be in conversation to discuss Khabieh’s unique and personal perspective, the impact of the ongoing war in Syria on children, and the ongoing challenges facing the 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees currently living in Turkey as well as those living in other parts of the globe.
Globally, we have surpassed 100 million refugees worldwide, most recently due to the war in Ukraine. While attention has been shifted to supporting Ukrainian refugees, we welcome this opportunity to connect with our Chicago-land community members to draw lessons learned from different contexts and treatments of refugees, and how we can take action.
ABOUT WITNESSES TO WAR: THE CHILDREN OF SYRIA
Witnesses to War: The Children of Syria – book and exhibition – provides an insider’s account of the impact that the war in Syria has had on children.
From the rebel held area of Eastern Ghouta, Witnesses to War illustrates, through photographs and stories, the incredible resilience of Syria’s young in the face of violence. Children and their families held onto fragments of normalcy through schools conducted in basements, street games played in the temporary lull of battle, and events and holidays celebrated under tenuous conditions.
Khabieh did not start out as a photographer. When the war broke out in Syria, he was studying computer science at Damascus University. As the violence escalated there and around the country, it was clear that there was an urgent need for Syrian photographers to ensure that the world knew what was happening in his increasingly isolated and dangerous homeland. Throughout the conflict—until mid-2018, when the Syrian regime captured Douma, his hometown—he remained in the region, working as a photojournalist for many international media outlets and gaining international acclaim.
In this 11th anniversary year of the Syrian Arab Spring, Syria remains in crisis. There are still millions of displaced people who are living in refugee camps either inside Syria or in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. Thousands of missing detainees are suffering inside security interrogation centers. And, the economic situation in Syria is deteriorating daily as poverty and hunger spread.
Books will be available for sale during the event. 100% of the proceeds go to outreach, advocacy, and the support of Syrian refugee youth and communities through Karam Foundation.
