The Syrian Civil War has been a hot topic in the news for the last eight years, and it is easy to see the conflict as a hopeless one. Syria is a land with a vast and rich culture, but much of this has been overshadowed by the conflict that has plagued the nation since 2011.
Rethink Rebuild Society is a charity that was established in Manchester after the start of the Syrian Uprising at the beginning of the decade. In that time, the charity has gone from strength to strength, inspiring and advocating for refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants, helping them to become effective members of British society. As a result of their hard work in the community, Rethink Rebuild was recently the recipient of a Manchester Culture Award, in the Equality and Diversity category.
A performance by the London Syrian Ensemble
Last week, we filmed at some of Rethink Rebuild’s ‘Celebrating Syria’ festival events, which included live performances, exhibitions, workshops and talks covering a wide range of topics. The festival showcased exactly what the charity wants Syria to be known for, its culture, art and history, rather than its difficult recent past. It is so important for the cultural survival of a nation in conflict to maintain their traditions and their heritage in order to perpetuate their national identity for future generations.
Traditional Syrian mosaic art
We had a fantastic time attending the events and learning about the artistic customs of the Syrian people. The festival was a vivid and colourful celebration of music, film, theatre, food and art emanating from the Syrian people, and we will be giving you a taster of what the event was like with a new video coming out soon!