Syria: Memories that lived through the earthquake
On February 6, Ramez and Maysa’ went to bed in their home in Lattakia with their two children, Khair El-Din and Qamar. The earthquake struck, putting them all in eternal sleep. What remained of them and of their lives were a few photographs covered in debris.
When pulled out from under the whole family was sleeping peacefully on the same bed.
Khair El-Din goes to bed, looking forward impatiently to the next morning, to ride his bike to school.
The earthquake took away Khair El Din and his dreams, and this bike is all that remains of his school trip.
These shoes have been to many places, leaving traces and memories behind.
Maysa’ and her son, Khair El-Din, are no longer there to wear these shoes. No more outings, trips, or memories to leave behind anymore.
Eleven people were sleeping under this roof, waiting for the morning to start the next day, and making new memories.
The roof collapsed, smashing all the memories of those who once lived in this house.
Suleiman’s photo on Suzanne’s phone is what has remained with his mother after the earthquake has taken him away while sleeping next to her.
Suleiman would have turned two on the eighteenth of last February.
Issa Ghosoun was a young man who graduated with honors from the French Language Department. He was living with his mother and sister, when the earthquake destroyed their home, ending his and his mother's lives, and leaving behind painful memories of what was once a reality.
This is what is left of the house of a family in Aleppo. We do not know their story. We did not find any pictures of them, and no one is there to tell us what happened to them.
Only this dish-drying rack survived the earthquake, leaving us to imagine their breakfasts together, or the nice quarrels between siblings over washing dishes.
Syrians have been struggling for over a decade to cling to what little hope they had of moving forward with their lives. The country's infrastructure has crumbled, leaving millions of Syrians with limited access to clean water, electricity, education, and all sorts of services needed in daily life. The earthquake struck and more lives were lost. It caused more damage to the infrastructure in Syria, leaving Syrians with memories that lived through the earthquake and a future that cannot get any vaguer.
