Enab Baladi – Exclusive

A group of civil activists organized a “graffiti” event in the governorates of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, as part of the “We Are Its Residents” campaign, which was launched on October 10, 2019, in cooperation with several civil society associations and organizations.

The campaign’s media office told Enab Baladi that the event mainly involved painting on the walls in the streets of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa and their villages, to restore the public space and add colors to the city to revive the place and give hope for its residents.

The event aims to highlight the unique cultural and social elements in these areas, in addition to the culture of its people, their costumes and their heritage. It also seeks to shed light on their living conditions and the possibility of improving it, especially after the destruction caused by the successive battles in the region.

The event occurs after selecting the most prominent and clear places in the city and cooperating with a plastic artist from each city.

A documented report titled “Murals of We Are Its Residents” published on “Raqqa between the two bridges” Facebook page showed giant murals decorating buildings in the city of Raqqa. For example, there is a mural on one of the buildings on al-Nour Street, showing a man and woman wearing traditional clothes of the city.

Enab Baladi monitored positive comments on this report, as followers of the page thanked the campaigners.

“We Are Its Residents” is a cultural, social, media, and multi-activity campaign, managed by a group of activists and more than 20 civil society associations and organizations, including: “Better Hope for Al-Tabqa,” “Makers of the Future,” “New Horizons,” “Improving Euphrates,” “Together For Deir ez-Zor.”

Since its beginning, the campaign has included films, press training workshops, workshops for civil society organizations, as well as activities related to human and women’s rights. It also organized service activities that included removing rubble, repairing homes, hospitals, and schools, securing electricity and water and supporting small projects, in addition to providing humanitarian services to more than 6,000 displaced families in Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa.

A statement issued by the alliance of the participating organizations in the campaign, on November 6, 2019, appealed for the protection of activists and their workers from being targeted by any part of the conflict in the region.

ISIS left the cities of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor in late 2017, after intensive operations by the “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF) supported by the alliance, which left widespread destruction and the lack of many essential services.

The SDF currently controls the city of Raqqa and part of the city of Deir ez-Zor, while the Syrian regime forces control other parts of the city.

Graffiti in Raqqa, within “We Are Its Residents” campaign (Enab Baladi)