As I spoke to locals, the mood was one of relief – but there are countless tales of loved ones who are not here to help celebrate, says journalist Danny Makki
As I spoke to locals, the mood was one of relief – but there are countless tales of loved ones who are not here to help celebrate
The army turned back into a civilian force, abandoning their positions and fleeing, leaving helmets, uniforms and officers’ badges on the streets alongside decaying military equipment. The mood in Damascus was one of relief.Photographer Waseem Sas witnessed the unravelling of events in the city centre and told me his happiness was overshadowed by sadness: “I am upset because my friends are not in the photos I am taking.
When he heard the news that Syria would be free, Akil rushed to the place that meant most to him: the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts, where he studied. There, alongside fellow students, they toppled the statue of Hafez al-Assad, Assad’s father and former president of Syria – “a long-awaited moment that symbolised breaking free from the chains of fear and control”, he said.
But the road ahead is also an uncertain one. Many people I spoke to in the streets shared concerns about what was to come next. “The end of one oppressive system could bring the emergence of another, and there is a real fear of strict religious rule imposing new restrictions on the creative freedom we long for,” Akil said.Many of us are excited to witness the birth of a new country. Shoruk is a 24-year-old dental student.
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