For Sama by Waad al-Kateab (2011)

Dedicated as a tribute to her daughter, Waad al-Kateab filmed and produced the documentary For Sama. Released in 2019, this film documented the journey of Waad as she navigates life, love, and loss in her city of Aleppo throughout the Syrian civil war. Waad begun documenting the Syrian revolution in 2012. As a fourth-year economics student at Aleppo University, she filmed the protests as students and everyone alike took to the streets to oppose their regime. Waad described Bashar’s dictatorship as leaving the country “drowning in corruption, injustice, and oppression.” It wasn’t long before her camera began capturing the authorities’ violent beatings and arrests of anyone who spoke against the Bashar regime. Soon enough the only thing that concerned Waad was the hope of a revolution. Alongside her friends, she documented the unfolding of the conflict – everything from the nighttime protests filled with hope and fireworks to the atrocities like “Aleppo’s River of Martyrs”.  Around the time when the revolution seemed close to victory, Waad fell in love with her close friend Hamza. He was among one of the few doctors aiding the injured protestors and revolutionaries in Aleppo. After marriage, the two had a daughter, and bought a house they were ready to make a home. Shortly afterward, the revolution undeniably morphed into a civil war. As extremist groups began to take over the movement and the Russian army fought alongside the Bashar regime, Aleppo became a city shrouded in bombings. Waad took on the role of a journalist, using her camera to showcase the brutality of the regime to the rest of the world in any way she could. Her husband, Hamza, dedicated himself to managing hospitals and saving as many of the injured as possible; however, as the bombing escalated many of his fellow doctors were martyred and the hospitals became overwhelmed. Having to give up their home, the family began living in the hospital that Hamza was managing. Already an unsafe city to raise Sama in, the situation became worse as the regime and the Russians started targeting hospitals. Having to start up new hospitals from scratch not once but three times, Waada, Hamza, and Sama were constantly fleeing from danger. In spite of this, they remained steadfast and passionate to stay in Aleppo and fight for the freedom of their people. Unfortunately, the family was forced to flee in 2016 when a UN spokesperson contacted the hospital insisting that Russian militants informed them to evacuate for their last chance at survival. Worried for the safety of Sama and the children of their friends, Waada’s family and many others surrendered to exile from Aleppo. 

As the civil war is ongoing in Syria, directing attention to this issue still remains relevant and important. Everything documented in For Sama, remains a reality for the people of Syria as they fight to survive the war. For much of the population, the civil war has meant living through bombings, displacement, unemployment, inaccessible education, and a lack of other basic needs (UNCHR 2024). The humanitarian crisis has increasingly worsened as the Assad regime has made it extremely difficult for international humanitarian organizations to provide water, food, supplies, medical assistance, and more. With already restrictive policies on which organizations are allowed to operate inside its borders, the government also has restrictive policies for those national and international NGOS which are permitted (Ferris 2016). Adding to the difficulty of providing aid, many staff members and volunteers of humanitarian organizations have been injured, kidnapped or killed throughout the conflict (Ferris 2016).

The Syrian Civil war is also important in the broader context of the Middle Eastern region. As Waad illustrated in the film, third party states such as Russia, Turkey, Iraq, and Gulf states have played a role in funding the conflict as well (Erum 2020). Extremist groups such as ISIS and Hezbollah have also become actors of the war (Erum 2020). As many Syrians are left displaced, the refugee crisis has had an impact on the greater region. According to the UNHCR, more than 14 million Syrians have been displaced and more than 7.2 million are internally displaced - 90% of whom live under the poverty line. The five main host countries of these refugees are Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt (UNHCR 2024). 

I found this documentary to be very eye-opening. It is one thing to read about the Syrian civil war and the injustices of it, but it is a very different thing to experience the war through the eyes of a young woman as she does her best to protect her family and fight for her people. For Sama was a captivating documentary that did an amazing job showcasing why so many Syrians took to the streets to oppose their regime. Not only was the film educational but it was personal in a way that makes it impossible not to feel for Waad and her family’s struggles. Watching how drastically the war flipped everyone’s life upside in the blink of an eye was heartbreaking, but the film was also inspiring. The film allows the outsider to witness what it meant for the Syrian community to come together, support one another, and to hold onto hope and a passion for a brighter future – for freedom. It was admiring to watch as Waad and Hamza’s passion for their people never once wavered despite the obstacles throw their way. 

Unfortunately, war is not unbeknownst to the Middle Eastern region. Countries like Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, and others have faced wars of their own. It is for this reason that I believe documentaries like For Sama are so important. They allow audiences across the globe to educate themselves and connect with individuals like Waad in ways that are not possible from reading scholarly articles or the news. Having won several awards, I can confidentially say that For Sama is a five-star documentary. The 2019 film is phenomenal and captivating as it takes the audience along Waad’s journey as she is forced to adapt to life in Aleppo during the Syrian civil war. 

References:

Al-Kateab, W., & Watts, E. (2019b). For Sama. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/for-sama/

ERUM, D. R. (2020). Syrian Civil War: A Humanitarian Crisis. Pakistan Journal of International Affairs, 3(1).

Ferris, E., & Kirisci, K. (2016). The consequences of chaos: Syria's humanitarian crisis and the failure to protect. Brookings Institution Press.

UNHCR. (2024). Syria refugee crisis explained. Retrieved from https://www.unrefugees.org/news/syria-refugee-crisis-explained/