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The polish young woman decided to listen to her deep thoughts and follow her hunch that “there are extraordinary adventures just outside her doorstep.” So, the number of views her reports might get is less important than the experience she will get.
Refugees, IDPs, bombings, hell cannons, death toll, barrel bombs, etc. were, unfortunately, the front-page story of any news on Syria including the governorates of Aleppo and Damascus. Her two short feature videos on Damascus and Aleppo showed the opposite while the beneficiaries of the continuation of the war want to keep a distorted black image about Syria for their political and personal interests.
Eva Zu Beck is not one of the journalists who regularly visits Syria to make a video or write an article about the war for their mainstream media outlets.
Saturday, 28 September 2019
She simply identified herself as a vlogger and was clear that her two-part video about her visit to Syria titled “What’s It Like to Be a Tourist in ALEPPO/Damascus in 2019?” is not meant to be “a political commentary.”
The polish young woman decided to listen to her deep thoughts and follow her hunch that “there are extraordinary adventures just outside her doorstep.” So, the number of views her reports might get is less important than the experience she will get.
As a tourist, Eva visited a country listed as one of top 10 most dangerous countries according to the 2019 Global Peace Index (GPI) report. Syria is now the second least peaceful city in the world to replace Afghanistan, which is now the least peaceful country. Is it a coincidence that the sovereignty of the two countries has been violated by the US troops and foreign extremist fighters who came from all over the world under the pretext of liberating people?
The 2nd-millennium BC old city of Aleppo competes with the 3rd-millennium BC old city of Damascus as being the oldest inhabited urban city in the world.
Refugees, IDPs, bombings, hell cannons, death toll, barrel bombs, etc. were, unfortunately, the front-page story of any news on Syria including the governorates of Aleppo and Damascus. Her two short feature videos on Damascus and Aleppo showed the opposite while the beneficiaries of the continuation of the war want to keep a distorted black image about Syria for their political and personal interests.
Her journey to Damascus and Aleppo – the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites – was planned without forming prior expectations based on the stereotype ideas disseminated in the western-oriented media.
Eva first went to the old city of Damascus. She discovered a colourful and vibrant city and met very hospitable people who greeted her warmly in the streets. Later on, she headed to the city of Aleppo, freely toured the streets and enjoyed the traditional food like al-Malban (a jelly-like substance made of grapes with walnuts inside) and the city’s handmade ice cream – No surprise that she enjoyed the food there as Aleppo cuisine is the most famous and distinctive among other Middle Eastern cuisines. Some say that its sweet and sour flavour is a combination of conquest and Silk Road trade.
She saw first-hand the people of Aleppo’s determination to rebuild their own city and she was astonished by their resilience. It is undeniable that the people of Aleppo and all-around Syria suffered and have been suffering from the repercussions of war. They have experienced destitution, lost beloved ones and missed things used to be taken for granted before the crisis like water, electricity, food, safety, etc. The war has never been kind to anyone before including the Syrians.
However, the people of Aleppo did not wait for the world to come and help them rebuild their city and country, although there were many parties involved that were willing to turn them against each other and reignite the Syrian crisis. However these very same parties were not ready to provide the necessary support for rebuilding.
Due to Syria’s privileged position on the Mediterranean Sea and its natural resources, many invaders showed great interest in controlling it. Every Syrian city, town and village were not spared from invasions. For instance, the silk-road old city was invaded by Alexander the Great, Hulagu Khan, Mongol Tamburlaine, the Ottomans, and the French occupation. History also referred to a devastating 8.5-magnitude earthquake that completely destroyed most of Aleppo in 1138. But here we are, and like their predecessors, the people of Aleppo were able to re-emerge.
This video is an example of how to be a human and not to turn a blind eye to any effort, even if it is modest.
Eva managed to look at the half full cup and managed to reach all sides away from politics. Come and visit Syria and see for yourself.
D.A
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!
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