During the opening night of the exhibition ‘5 years of war in Syria’, we will sit down with the photographer and with Syrian refugees in the Netherlands to talk about the ongoing violence in Syria, and to consider the plight of Syrians everywhere.
What started as a local protest against the Assad regime in 2011, has led to a horrific conflict that spares no one. Five years later, the violence is ongoing, and has resulted in the largest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War.
The exhibition by photographer Mona van den Berg about Syrian refugees in the region, in Europe and in the Netherlands will be unveiled in Humanity House on 22 March. In addition, a one-off special supplement on Syria, filled with articles, photos and opinion pieces, is published by newspaper Trouw on the same day.
Everyone is welcome to attend the opening. We will be talking to the photographer as well as to Syrian Salim Abbara.
About the speakers
Mona van den Berg is a freelance photographer and works for both the media (Trouw, Vrij Nederland, het Parool, de Volkskrant and Al Jazeera, among others) and non-governmental organisations (Warchild, KWF, Aids Fund, Council for Refugees, Dutch Association of Care and Disability, and more). She has a distinct style: her photos are raw and true to life. In 2012, she was named Dutch Talent by Erwin Olaf in specialist journal Focus. In 2014, she finished second in the Domestic Documentary category of the Silver Camera awards.
Salim Abbara had a restaurant in Homs, together with his father. Already before the Arabic Spring, he wrote political poetry about the regime of Syria and Saudi Arabia. Since recently he is living in the Netherlands.
About the exhibition
The exhibition gives Syrian refugees a face and a voice. It shows us what it means to have to flee and how important it is to find shelter. Both the newspaper supplement and the exhibition are brought to you by: Humanity House, Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland, Rode Kruis, Stichting Vluchteling, Medair, Unicef, SOS kinderdorpen, ZOA, Syria Joint Response, Christelijk Noodhulpcluster, UNHCR, Ikea Foundation and What design can do.