ICTJ 306d ago

#EndEnforcedDisappearances | Art cannot bring back those who are missing, but it can help prevent their erasure. It can help preserve their memory and ensure they are not forgotten. On April 26, ICTJ, the Syrian civil society organization @DawlatySy and the Local Awareness & Community Unity, co-organized a film screening and art exhibition in the city of Darayya, outside Damascus. The event brought together Syrian survivors and families of victims of enforced disappearance, residents, civil society representatives, and government officials to watch films, view art, and share stories from the brutal -year civil conflict and decades of dictatorship. Through film and art, the event aimed to amplify the voices of victims and connect participants through shared experiences of pain and loss as well as hope for peace and justice. Front and center were the countless victims of enforced disappearances and the families who never gave up and never stopped searching. On International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, this gathering has special meaning. In a place deeply marked by loss, almost every story shared spoke of the lives taken away and the families still waiting for answers. As one participant reflected, walking through Darayya today you see destruction and life side by side, serving as a reminder of the struggle to survive as well as resilience and hope. Others spoke of Darayya and Kafr Nabl as symbols of the revolution, where the memories and sacrifices of thousands still live on. Some said that, at the event, it felt as if the spirits of the disappeared and those lost were present again.