Karam
al-Masri was captured by ISIL, tortured and held for six months at the
beginning of the Syrian war [Al Jazeera]
The
historic city of Aleppo, Syria's oldest and largest, dates back to the sixth
century BC.
“I
never thought we’d kill anyone or that we'd be killed, but they shed the blood
of our people and children. I don't have anything to lose anymore. I've lost
everything.... Even in the World Wars, no one has ever destroyed an entire
country for the sake of power.”
-Abu
Hussain al-Sukhni, a military leader
It
was a major trading hub during the Ottoman Empire, its architecture impressive
and its culture vibrant and diverse. The old city, with its medieval mansions,
alleyways and souqs, was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986.
But
the "Battle of Aleppo" that began in July 2012 between Syrian
government forces and rebel factions and the ongoing conflict have devastated
the once beautiful city.
For
the people of Aleppo who continue to live in the city's opposition-held areas,
attacks and bombardment are a daily reality.
In
late 2014 and early 2015, a group of Syrian filmmakers (whose names cannot be
revealed for safety reasons) travelled to Aleppo amid the continued bombing, to
meet rebel fighters, ordinary citizens, families and children who struggle to
survive as their city crumbles around them.
As
Syria's civil war enters its fifth year, this poignant and vivid film captures
the personal stories of those living in the prolonged conflict.
The
filmmakers shot in several locations in the city and sometimes used drone
footage to show the destruction from above. We meet residents of Aleppo who
take us through empty, rubble-filled lanes and the decimated and burnt-out
buildings that once housed families and businesses, as they compare life before
the war with the present.
"The
government has systematically ruined this city," Mohammad Mahmoud, a
researcher, says in the film. "It wants to destroy the revolution and
erase everything. It's the same as what happened in the city of Hama in 1982.
It wants to kill the spirit of Aleppo's people."
We
also meet Karam al-Masri, a photographer who was captured by ISIL, tortured and
held for six months at the start of the war. Al-Masri has used his camera to
chronicle the destruction of Aleppo and plight of the people who continue to
live there.
"A
camera's role is greater than a weapon's," says al-Masri. "When the
regime arrests someone who works in the media, they torture them more than they
would an FSA (Free Syrian Army) member."
There
is Michael Abu Yosef who is the supervisor at a Christian home for the elderly
where he has lived since losing his own home. "I'm 53 years old and have
seen enough," he says. "I don't want to reach 60 and see worse than
this."
The
historic city has been ground down by bombardment and fighting since 2012 [Al
Jazeera]
Ismail
is a civil defense volunteer who works with others to protect Aleppo's women
and children. "For me this is not a job," he says. "It's how I
take part in the revolution."
Shihab
Al Din Abou Baker is a school teacher who works in a makeshift classroom,
teaching dozens of local children who have been traumised by the violence.
There
is Muhammad Hubbo, a schoolboy who has lost his friends and his house. He often
has to do without electricity and water - and his favourite game is playing
street skittles with his friends using spent gun cartridges.
Mohammed
al-Goul is an FSA member who takes us to the deserted neighbourhood where he
grew up. It was "one of the oldest and most beautiful in Aleppo," he
says. Stopping by the house where he was born, he reminisces about what it was
like when he was a child but says he cannot step into the courtyard. "I
can't go inside because of the pain and anger I feel," he says.
Death
of Aleppo is a film that captures the scale of human suffering and destruction
in the historic city; but also the resilience of its citizens who battle daily
as their city falls apart all around them.
No comments:
Post a Comment