Nine minutes. No blood, no tears, no screams and no speeches.
Nine minutes of scenes from a refugee camp were far more expressive than other scenes which may have unintentionally transformed the Syrian tragedy into a lame narrative that no longer interests audiences and which has led people to turn their attention towards something new. Nine minutes were used to narrate some of little Hala’s diaries and how she lives in a tent for Syrian refugees in the Lebanese Beqaa valley.
Hala, who is described as the youngest mother of the refugee camp in Beqaa, is an 11-year-old Syrian child. She fled Syria with her five siblings after shelling on their house killed her mother and after they lost track of their father. Her oldest brother now suffers from epilepsy as a result of the shock and, bar one other older brother, her other brothers are still young.
Taking her story to the world
Celebrity Angelina Jolie carried Hala’s story to the world. In nine minutes Angelina narrated Hala’s story. The video showed Hala’s smiles and her concern for her brother when he got dizzy and how she gave him medicine. Language was an obstruction during the visit as the children don’t know English and Angelina tried hard to understand them before translators stepped in.
Angelina’s calm voice narrated the story and spoke of the horrible
magnitude of Syrian refugees’ problems, especially of women and
children. It also spoke of Lebanon’s problems as the country is
incapable of containing the number of refugees who now constitute one
quarter of its population.
The video with Hala was released as
controversy in Lebanon over the issue of Syrian refugees increased and
as political and popular rhetoric has addressed the issue from a racial
perspective. This has called for a campaign to oppose such rhetoric.
This nine-minute video which Angelina Jolie shot was released and
broadcast by global media outlets and revealed the frankest image of
both the refugees’ crisis and Lebanon’s crisis. Lebanese politicians did
not make use of Angelina’s ability to influence public opinion as they
were busy dressing up and taking photos with her. They were oblivious to
the real meaning of her visit.
Why we need celebrities
A
few months ago, Jeremy Barnicle, chief development and communications
officer at the aid organization Mercy Corps, wrote an article entitled
“Why Syria needs George Clooney.” Clooney is the celebrity who, like
Jolie, is concerned with humanitarian causes and who played a role in
bringing attention to the suffering of Darfur refugees South of Sudan.
The Western public opinion is struck by confusion and boredom when it
comes to the Syrian crisis. It doesn’t understand the complex situation
and no one sees a solution on the horizon. When the public opinion,
especially the Western one, deviates its attention from the Syrian
crisis, politicians and decision makers find respite from pressure that
pushes them to resolve crises similar to the Syrian one.
In
this case, it seems we really need Jolie and Clooney, not for marketing
but for providing a new angle that brings attention back to this
tragedy. The efficiency of the pressure which the alliance of some
celebrities, civil organizations and journalists might achieve has been
proven. Addressing the West is substantial because solutions lie in the
hands of Western governments and institutions before they lie in our
hands. Decision making capitals exist, the U.N. exists and so do dozens
of international aid organizations.
Angelina Jolie’s nine
minutes was more influential than speeches which are used to exploit the
Syrians’ suffering in futile disputes.
This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on March 31, 2014.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.