Reflection on Sama Wareh GIP Event

Living in Southern California, it's easy to forget or ignore global issues that affect millions of men, women, and children worldwide every single day. I take both the little things (my backpack or art supplies) and the big things (food, water my home, my school, etc.) for granted when so many do not have access to the same basic parts of my everyday life. After attending the GIP event on Tuesday, February 19 featuring Sama Wareh, a Syrian-American film-major/environmental studies master/artist extraordinaire who has traveled throughout Turkey and Lebanon providing aid and art therapy to Syrian refugees, all of these thoughts came to the forefront of my mind. 

While I've heard mentions of the Syrian War for a couple of years now, I really knew very little about it. As Wareh mentioned, the news has become very desensitized for many of us, resulting in us forgetting that all of the numbers we hear about (whether it's the number of fatalities, injuries, displaced people, etc.) have faces behind them and represent real people and that war is not just w-a-r, a three letter word, but war, a bloody (and in this case, lengthy) conflict that results in an enormous amounts of death and destruction on every side. 

What I found so impactful was when Sama interviewed some Syrian refugees. Both an older man and a young boy had lost their legs (for two very different reasons). The young boy lost it during a bombing of his home city, while the man lost it because he no longer had access to his diabetes medication. I was reminded how the war impacts everyone there, even those who are not directly involved in the fighting.

Another heartbreaking part of the night was when we saw some of the images that the children created while doing art therapy. Wareh kept saying that "war was on their minds," which could not have been more clear after looking at their artwork. 

Source: https://www.ocregister.com/2014/03/30/oc-woman-turns-syrian-drawings-from-blood-to-blooms/

They drew bombs, tanks, bullets, decapitations, blood, death, and every other aspect to war imaginable. Some kids, like the one above, were not as literal with their drawings, but the images were just as impactful and graphic. I was amazed to see, after two weeks of art therapy, how much the children's drawings changed. Most of them went from being full of sadness and despair to being more hopeful (showing images of the Syrian Liberation Front's flag, a dove, etc.). The children used art to show, not only the traumas they went through but also their hopes dreams (some wanted to become a cop or a doctor or an artist). 

Wareh emphasized a couple different points that stuck with me after the presentation. First, education is so important and should not be taken for granted. It can open so many doors, provide people with hope and clarity, and can help move you through some of the darkest times. Second, even in the midst of grave challenges, you just need to just start whatever it is you are doing. You cannot give up even when the outcome seems impossible. Just move forward. And third, take time to do what is important to you. Don't get caught up doing a million different things if it means sacrificing time with your family, loved ones, friends, etc. 

Everything I heard and learned during Wareh's presentation was very eye-opening, and this post only contains a small amount of the many stories she shared. Maybe in later posts I will try to share more of her stories in writing.