| Yazan Badran | Student | Japan |
Re: ‘If you had the choice what would you change in Syria?’
To define what kind of change is needed in a country like Syria is not an easy mission, and most definitely it is not one without controversy.
I would say, among all the fundamental issues that our country (Syria, in the tightest geographical sense that is) is suffering from at the moment, whether it is a failing economy, a rising sense of consumerism, the issues of democracy and human rights and the constant retreat of secularism against conservatism, among many. The disintegration of our sense of Identity strikes as the most alarming. (The space is too limited to go into the clear signs of this disintegration.)
Everybody perceives his own identity in a completely different manner. And even within a collective identity, there will always be not-so-subtle differences within every other person, whether it’s his choice of religion, ideology or even his choice of music. That being said, for a country, a society to function at its full potential there has got to be a sense of belonging, a collective choice of belonging, that is.
In essence, the kind of change that is needed is one that brings up that topic to the debate. In very few words, one that allows us to do some soul searching.
The civil society has been tightly controlled for at least the last 25 years, and that definitely contributed to this state that we are in. We need to give ourselves a breathing space. I am not talking about unions, or pressure groups or NGOs, on the contrary, we need to encourage people’s individual collaborative efforts, whether it starts with a book club or a small school paper.
There has got to be a real force behind re-introducing values of individuality and volunteerism. We need to get people interested again in communication on levels other than the daily routines. For example, re-instating boy scouts (It was re-introduced a few years back, but never regained its once-popular place) as an alternative of the Tala’ea el-Baath and the Church’s clubs. We need to encourage local radios and newspapers, and any other outlets that bring out more space for people to debate their very own lives. Whether it is a new gas station that is bringing distress to a neighborhood or the effects of globalization.
Encouraging these alternative outlets can be very stimulating for the rediscovery of our identity. It can re-vitalize the debate, and bring it back from the intelligentsia to the average Syrian, which is what really matters. It is what we average Syrians agree on, that matters. Only then can we claim that we are in the process of developing our sense of the place, our sense of the other, and our sense of ourselves (which is a never ending process, or at least, should be.)
To get people debating their identity, acquiring such an identity, we need to raise their interest in this place that they live in. More importantly, we need to raise their knowledge of this place they live in. It is very, very sad to notice how many young Syrians never got a chance to visit a place like Palmyra or Bosra. Or how little knowledge many of us have about the most important place in Syria’s economy, al-Jazeera. It is sad that we know about the daily life of an American kid more than we do (and for many of us, will ever do) about our own people.
Re-introducing art, theater and cinema for the larger population, can help fill out that void that our mobile phone carrier companies have been making money out of. The amazing popular reaction to the emergence of Syrian Drama, is not an insignificant sign. It clearly draws our need to be proud of ourselves. Our need to relate to something, After many years of living parallel lives, chanting words that have lost all meaning, and that many of us don’t even understand in the first place. Syrian cinema has always had a real potential, and until this day, many agree that the quality of this industry have survived many, many bad years. It is time that we give it a much deserved chance. It is time that we introduced it to the people that it draws itself from. It is not very hard to get the people interested in going to cinema. I will never forget the sights of many sold out nights when Naseem el-Roh was being shown in cinemas. Very few Syrian movies had that luxury, to be shown in Syrian cinemas.
It is very important of course to attract foreign investors, but it is more important to protect the few cultural icons that have survived the grey years of the 80s and 90s, and stayed as one of the few collective memories we share, even if on a small community scale. We need to rediscover our downtowns. We need to redeem these places that hold much of our sense of belonging, whether it is Marjeh Square for Damascenes, or Latakia’s sea side for Latakians, or Aleppo’s Citadel for Aleppans.
Of course, many of this is taking place at the moment, but what is happening is mere breakthroughs from few individuals, it is not done on a global scale, it is not endorsed by the system, and most importantly the class and geographic distribution of it is very poor. It is, to say the least, not the trend. And even this fragile start stands the danger of being crushed down by much more stronger currents that are sweeping our society at the moment. Many of them have no interest in seeing that happening. Whether it is in politics, the regime trying to re-instate its grip on society, or in economy with the frightening waves of capitalism and monopolies that have grown out of control in the last few years.
(10 votes, average: 4.90 out of 5)
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