What comes to your mind when you think about the Hama massacre?
Hama casts a ghost of terror in my mind. Since I came to life, I have heard stories about the cost of opposing Assad’s regime. When evoking "Hama 82", most Syrians lower their voices. And that is when they dare mention it.
Hama 82 belongs to a long story of injustice in Assad's terror kingdom. I am convinced that today’s war could have been prevented if officials and individuals responsible for the 1982-events were prosecuted. I still hope to see justice brought about.
Soldiers are the first victims of political leaders’ greed. For years, young men have been brainwashed by national slogans, or, in a lot of cases: forced to join troops. Syria is one of the countries that apply conscriptions and where youth are forced into military service for two and half years. Most of the youth fighting for the regime’s army did not have any choice. And those who refused to join the army were compelled to join rebel groups.
You were born in Damascus in 1986. Can you tell us about your life before the Arab spring?
After graduating from the University of Architecture of Damascus, in 2009, I worked as an architect. I have always loved drawing. Since a young age I have been fascinated by cartoons and wanted to become a cartoonist. But Syrian universities did not offer graphic design studies, so I chose architecture over fine arts.
I was in Damascus when the Arab spring broke out and my activism lead me to being part of what we now call the “young dreamers of the Arab spring”. But I had to leave Syria in August 2011 after being imprisoned in the 215 Military detention center in Damascus. I fled by taxi to Jordan, then from Aqaba to Cairo where I stayed for almost a year until I received a visa for Germany. My close family members have all fled the country. Some of my friends are still in Damascus and Al-Zabadani. We keep in touch through social media.
Why have you chosen to draw Freedom Hospital in black and white?
I have been developing a black and white style for a while now. In general, I have a minimalist approach to visualization. I find that using only black color with minimum detail, leaves more room for the reader’s imagination to fill the empty spaces. “Less is more” in visual relations.
Since I fled my country, I have been using drawing as a medium to express my feelings regarding what is going on in my country. Transforming anxiety into creativity was my way to cope. When I started producing my comics and work about the war, I never would have imagined that it would result in a book and that my work would be exhibited in Museums.
All picture belong to ©Hamid Sulaiman
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