Making Home Away

Iman, a 42 year old mother to two children, discusses being separated from her extended family:

"Look my hairs are standing. Because I feel like my body is over here, but my mind is back in Syria.  Some people may feel like I am wrong to think this way, but I feel a lot of emotions and connection to my family members in Syria. When I speak with my family there, they say don’t worry about us because we are fine. They say for me to just think about my kids and husband. Frankly, I am not able to disconnect from over there. I am not sure if my belonging should be to my husband and kids or family back home."

For a rich archive of emotional and creative responses to Syria as a site of memory and culture, the Creative Memory project offers an archive and interactive map that offers the chance to explore Syrian realities and collective memories, as seen in artistic responses to recent events of the Syrian Revolution.