Syria || Preservation of the Syrian memory and struggles

Deprecated: Implicit conversion from float 80.8 to int loses precision in /home/ghp5g2vym2kt/public_html/km_glimpse/wp-content/plugins/publishpress-authors/src/modules/default-layouts/default-layouts.php on line 185

Deprecated: Implicit conversion from float 71.2 to int loses precision in /home/ghp5g2vym2kt/public_html/km_glimpse/wp-content/plugins/publishpress-authors/src/modules/default-layouts/default-layouts.php on line 185

Deprecated: Implicit conversion from float 120.8 to int loses precision in /home/ghp5g2vym2kt/public_html/km_glimpse/wp-content/plugins/publishpress-authors/src/modules/default-layouts/default-layouts.php on line 185

The writer’s Biography;

Huda Sarjawe, a Syrian writer from Maarat Al-Numan city in Idlib. After the Syrian-Russian military takeover of her city, Huda had to move to Ezaz city in Northern Aleppo’s countryside. Sarwaje is a lawyer and has a degree in Law and Political Science. Currently, she is studying International Relations at Aleppo University in Northern Syria prior to which she worked at her town’s local council for four years as the first elected females’ member in 2014. She also worked in multiple organizations for social awareness campaigns focusing mainly on women.

Sarjawe is also a trainer in legal and political subjects such as Governance, Constitution, Elections and Negotiations. She works at The Day After a civil society organization that focuses on the democratic transition in Syria where she advocates for more female agency and representation, namely in the high-ranking positions inside and outside Syria.

writing the book was part of my fundamental message to save the victims’ memories. During the Syrian revolution, detainees and survivors of Assad’s jails were deemed as one of the most psychologically traumatized. Their cause has been overlooked for years and civil society support has not effectively helped them to transition back to normal life

Huda Sarjawe, a Syrian writer from Maarat Al-Numan city in Idlib

How was the idea of the book brought up and developed?

Sarjawe explained, “my book came as part of a project I worked on with the Transitional Justice Academy where my idea of the book; “Victim’s Voice” was developed. She further commented, “writing the book was part of my fundamental message to save the victims’ memories. During the Syrian revolution, detainees and survivors of Assad’s jails were deemed as one of the most psychologically traumatized. Their cause has been overlooked for years and civil society support has not effectively helped them to transition back to normal life”.

She continued, “the inspiration and passion to write this book came from this overwhelming and humbling situation that cannot be forgotten nor tampered with. Such tampering with the truth contributes to creating false details of history for the generation to come which is something this book seeks to combat.

She also said, “writing books also helps academics, who work on researching Syria, get a real sense of the struggles from the victims themselves. As such, maximizing the outreach of the Syrian detainees’ cases and advocating for their victimhood. Having said that, it also provides victims with a safe space where they can express themselves, feel acknowledged as well as supported by society.

What does the book tell us about?

The book contains eleven stories of both victims of enforced disappearance themselves and some told by a family member of the disappeared. The book delves into the nitty-gritty details of the horror. Sarjawe said, “some of the obstacles that I faced throughout the book writing process was that some of the interviewees suffered immensely in prison and could not carry on telling their stories. Others feared the repercussions on their imprisoned family members.

In the case of the female victims, they feared the social stigma associated with imprisoned females who were not convinced that telling their stories were important, while others feared vengeance”.

Why are books that narrate the Syrian victims’ stories important?

Documentation is a prime tool for fighting and resisting oppressors. Some try to manipulate the narrative surrounding the victimhood of the imprisoned and survivors and twist it in a way that does not reflect the truth of what happened. Documentation of survivors is a pivotal means that allows them to partake in the collective memory of the Syrian struggle and reengage them with their societies so they can feel reintegrated and included.

This can also allow them to have an active role in the public space as members of the society or researchers who will engage in social awareness campaigns or activities. The diversification of the stories brings about a variety of perspectives to the Syrian Revolution’s archive for the coming generation to study and learn about.

Every single contribution is a pivotal element in the Syrian memory. Archives are repositories of collective memory, and it is an archivist’s duty to document not just facts, but the emotions, memories and the feelings of those affected by a tragedy.

These memories give future researchers the ability to comprehend a more complete representation of the Syrian tragedy. History and memory are both recalled through interpretation and a diverse scope of eyewitnesses. Just as the trained historian is the best equipped for providing a history of an event, so are the trained writers, journalists, and archivists to document it and preserve it for the generation to come.

Is the Syrian archive enough?

Although a lot of written material has been and is being produced about the Syrian conflict over the past years, a small part of it is about the enforced disappeared people. The gravity of the enforced disappeared people in Syria is significant and is deemed one of the prime subjects in the political sphere; yet little is being done to support documentation production. Civil society and social groups should assist survivors in order to write their personal experiences directly and publish them. This would give the written materials more authenticity and it would be more reflective of the personal experience of the victims of the Syrian tragedy. This is the case across all sectors and becomes particularly vital amongst the marginalized, such as survivors of enforced disappearance in warzones.

writing books also helps academics, who work on researching Syria, get a real sense of the struggles from the victims themselves. As such, maximizing the outreach of the Syrian detainees’ cases and advocating for their victimhood. Having said that, it also provides victims with a safe space where they can express themselves, feel acknowledged as well as supported by society

Huda Sarjawe, a Syrian writer from Maarat Al-Numan city in Idlib