Syria - Douzan Arts Center

The social and political situation in Syria is again in an unstable position (beginning 2025). The country has faced various revolutions (Arab liberal revolutions 1916 – 1918), mandates (French mandate of Syria 1923-1949) and coupes (First Syrian coup, March 1940 and March revolution coup in 1963). After more than 50 years of Bashar al-Assad and his family’s authoritarian rule in Syria, the regime fell in November 2024 as a result of a 11 day attack on the countries Capital city, Damascus by a coalition of rebels.[1] With Assad fleeing to Russia, the hope to rebuild the country in more democratic ways and a future with more freedom has grown strong, both for Syrians living in Syria and abroad.[2] However, the country is still marked by the regime’s countless political arrests, torture, executions and corruption.[3] Now, everybody’s attention is turned to the interim government, who will have to deal with a culturally and socially divided country.

There are a number of ethic and cultural groups within Syria (including Sunni Muslims, Alawites, Kurds, Christians, Druze, Murshids, Ismailis and Shi’as[4]), this asks for complex and nuanced understanding of what Syrian identity and culture means. In conversations about new governmental formations, “all ethnicities and religions in the country want constitutional guarantees,” (al-Bunni quoted by Sirwan Kajjo[5]). Magharbeh mentions that much of ‘’the identity of Syrians now, it's just [a] reflection of the former regime. It's not reflecting the real identity or the national identity, the collective identity of Syrians’’.

Mainly as a result of the decades long autocratic rule in Syria, with scarce healthcare, education and safely as a result, there is a large Syrian diaspora with people living all over the world. For a lot of people, this as creates questions about identity and culture. Centers such as Douzan Arts Center, aim to connect with Syrians living both inside and outside Syria. 

Key concepts

-          Autocratic rule and regime

-          Diaspora/migration

-          Multi-ethnicity and multilingualism

[1] https://www.ibanet.org/syria-assad

[2] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/syrian-rebels-claim-captured-capital-damascus-rcna183263

[3] https://www.ibanet.org/syria-assad

[4] ‘We’re All Partners of the Syrian Electronic’  as cited by Yazeji et al. (2009, updated 2014)

[5] https://www.voanews.com/a/analysts-see-flaws-in-syria-s-temporary-constitution/8011117.html

The cultural policy, with the responsible entity the Ministry of Culture, has stated three objectives: ’culture for everyone’, ‘Developing Syrian cultural product’ and ‘watching over the Syrian diversified cultural heritage’. In 1959, the Ministry changed name to ‘Ministry of Culture and National Guidance’, with objectives including under more ‘public guidance using proper Pan-Arab ideological guidance…, facilitating means of popular culture, contact overseas cultural and artistic institutions and benefit from their activities... [and to] revive the traditional Arabic heritage in the fields of science, literature and research.’’[1] However, really suggests otherwise. The Syrian institutional cultural field is highly centralized, with most of the resources and focus being on Damascus, the capital city. This leaves little financial- and other resources for other regions. Magharbeh explains that during the rule of the regime, mobility within the country was very restricted and almost all resources centralized in the capital, creating large discrepancies and divisions within the country, especially between the regime controlled areas and the other regions. Additionally, with having various groups and communities living both inside- and outside Syria, questions about identity or the presence of ‘one Syrian culture’ is often disputed. A more critical analysis describes the role of the Ministry of Culture as ‘creating a cover up image of normal live’ and following political instructions from higher up decision making.[2]

Another issue that makes it difficult to establish a stronger (institutional) cultural field, are the many changes in policy makers and decision makers within the governmental entities, theatres and cinemas. Various cultural professionals have been arrested and there is a lack of action, management is not speaking up when cultural activists or employees are being arrested and taken way.[3] Consequently, many cultural workers and activist found alternative ways of organizing culture or left the country in order to continue their work abroad. Magharbeh sees an important role for cultural centers abroad, as places that continue their efforts to keep connecting Syrians, regardless of where they live and build on Syrian identities and relations.

Even though small, there is an independent cultural scene present in Syria, aiming to create and organize cultural events such as festivals and performances outside of the systems of the (former) regime. Yazeji et al. point out that it is difficult to give real numbers and monitor this independent scene due to various restrictions and lack of research.[4] Evidently, cultural organizing and the organization of festivals within Syria comes with a number of struggles, ranging from scarcity in funds and resources, censorship and lack of formal organizational models. There are no legal structures in place to, for example, set up NGO’s or associations. Magharbeh explained that back in Syria, they managed to organize cultural activities such as theatre plays and concerts on a local level. All of these activities where funded by ticket income, creating a funding cycle that could merely cover operational costs, and if needed they would add their private savings. Within these forms of cultural organizing, there is a strong dependence on individuals responsibility and willingness to give to- and work for- the local community.

Last, the international community and international cooperation are crucial elements to understand the cultural field in Syria. The income of many independent cultural workers depend on having other jobs and international funding. Due to various international sanctions, this second category is very limited. Most prominently at the moment is Trump’s recent decision to freeze USA humanitarian aid, which has an heavy impact on the country.[5] As Douzan Arts Center focusses on Syrian culture but operates from Türkiye, this brings other difficulties. They are not eligible for most international or national funds or grands such as Creative Europe or national governmental funds, due to their administrative location and focus.

Key concepts

-          Centralization (and lack) of resources and decision making

-          Independent and underground scene.

-          Individual and the community, organizational models /volunteers – Organizational and funding models

-          Censorship

-          Diaspora/migration

-          Lack of Syrian identity

-          International community and cooperation

[1] Yazeji et al. 2009 updated 2014

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] 2009, updated in 2014

[5] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyezjwnx5ko

There are two, related, elements that influence the struggles for the organization of festivals and culture within the Syrian context; that of the (former) political regime and the lack of a dynamic Syrian identity and culture.

Within Syrian society itself, more conservative ideas and structures are in place, which has led to people find creative and more fluid ways to communicate and create connections with each other. Magharbeh gives the example of various songs that have been used by people in order to communicate messages of love and relationships using metaphor and hidden meaning. He mentions that ‘’they can't talk directly or they can't have, you know, a relation directly, so they use songs to have this connection, and this is the connection that we want to highlight.’’ In this case, metaphor is used to signal messages of love or connection, but similar tools and strategies have also been used for different themes that would not be socially or politically possible to communicate in more direct manners. The lack of a more nuanced or a non-regime framed approach to Syrian identity and culture, also influences the possibility create spaces for cultural interaction and conversation. This has influenced multiple generations, with as a result a society marked by division and distancing between various groups and ideologies. Organizations such as Douzan Arts Center, aim to highlight that these connections are present and can be made in constructive ways, in order to connect and platform Syrian identity and culture.

With the authoritarian regime of the al-Assad family, a heavy centralization both in administrative and the financial terms has impacted the cultural sector. As part of the regime’s efforts to establish their national image, all resources and attention was directed to the capital of Damascus, creating large discrepancies with other regions, especially outside regime controlled areas. On top of this, restricted mobility creates difficulty travelling between different regions within the country for cultural workers, artists and audiences. The regime emphasized strongly on national identity politics.

Operating as a Syrian cultural organization outside of Syria, this comes with additional obstacles.  Magharbeh explains how one of the main obstacles they face, is connecting Syrians from both within the different regions in Syria and abroad in effective and constructive ways, not only due to mobility issues and large social or cultural differences, but especially as they aim to include the ‘’public in general, even the people who are not involved or interested in culture’’. This, because they believe the Syrian culture and identity to belong to all Syrians, regardless of their location or background.

Key concepts:

-          Community and collectively – lack of national identity 

-          Authoritarianism / Regime

-          Administrative centralization

-          Generational suppression/ formation

-          Nationalism and identity politics

-          Inclusivity