Palestinian refugee uses art to share the story of his childhood with his daughter
Palestinian artist Basel Zaraa created an art installation titled 'Dear Laila' to share his childhood experiences in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria with his daughter. The installation, featuring a model of his family home and audio narration, conveys both the hardships and joyful memories of life in the camp. It aims to humanize the Palestinian refugee experience by focusing on personal stories amid historical and political turmoil.
- ▪Basel Zaraa was born in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, Syria, in 1985, where his grandparents had settled after fleeing during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
- ▪His family home in the camp was destroyed by a Syrian government airstrike in 2012 during the country's civil war.
- ▪The art installation includes a wooden model of the house, audio recordings narrated to his daughter Laila, and a photo album recovered from the rubble by his father.
- ▪Zaraa and his family now live in England, having moved there in 2010, while his parents remained in Syria.
- ▪'Dear Laila' is produced by the theater company PlayCo and will travel to Estonia after its run in New York City.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
World Palestinian refugee uses art to share the story of his childhood with his daughter April 29, 20264:37 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Jennifer Vanasco Palestinian refugee uses art to share the story of his childhood with his daughter Listen · 3:51 3:51 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5788021/nx-s1-9749112" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Basel Zaraa was a Palestinian refugee. When his 5-year-old daughter started asking him questions, he told her this story. Sponsor Message A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: An artist's young daughter asked him about his childhood home, so he built a model of it with her help - a building in a Syrian refugee camp.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at NPR — World.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from NPR — World
