Cassondra Dolan, Contributor
Featured image courtesy of Dalubuhle Ndlovu
The second floor of Scott Library isn’t usually the place to encounter striking artwork and heartfelt personal narratives. However, the York community discovered exactly that.
The undergraduate fellows of The Mosaic Institute together with York University Libraries organized a series of events expressing the York community’s diverse responses to the Syrian refugee crisis.
The collaborative effort aimed to “touch the heart and minds of our community members” by showcasing local experts and fundraising for Lifeline Syria, Friends Sponsorship Group, and the Department of Sociology.
Featured artwork included the emotional story and outstanding photography of Hajir Sharifi and spoken word poetry of Shadiya Aidid, Zeinab Aidid, Nasim Asgari, and Kareem Bennett.
“I want to show people the reality on the ground in the camps that I have visited,” says Sharifi regarding his experiences at the UNHCR camps.
“I believe the mainstream depiction of refugees is inaccurate and false, so I want to show the audience that this fear-mongering image created by the mainstream media is loaded with racist and xenophobic sentiments. Many of these people have witnessed massacres and watched their loved ones get slaughtered.”
Sharifi encountered people who had dug graves with their bare hands to bury toddlers who perished from hunger and thirst. Many have seen their cities turn to rubble and their homes go up in smoke. These are the people that end up in camps desperately looking for safety and survival, he says.
This is the real picture that Sharifi wanted to show.
York students and others in the academic community have a big responsibility to challenge the mainstream image presented by the media, he adds.
“There are many ways to raise awareness about this crisis, for example, by taking part in many campaigns and working with organizations that are already involved. I think it is important to remember that staying silent in this part of the world will not help to stop the ongoing chaos and destruction.”
The event, located in Scott Library, concluded with a marketplace selling donated accessories. Proceeds went to a Syrian family. Sharifi’s work was also part of a silent auction with proceeds going to Lifeline Syria.
Dalubuhle Ndlovu, a student senator who co-organized the event, says Sharifi’s photographs allow us to gaze into the hardships, challenges, and triumphs experienced by Iraqi and Syrian refugees.
“The York community truly opened their hearts and souls,” says Ndlovu, “in supporting this initiative to promote peace and address longstanding conflicts overseas by harnessing the insights. During 4Days4Syria, we raised over $2,000, and even more importantly, carried on the York spirit for social justice and community engagement.”
Sayjon Ariyarathnam, the other student senator who organized the event, says by partnering with the UofMosaic Fellowship Program with The Mosaic Institute, he and three other fellows were able to successfully express the trials and tribulations of Syrian refugees.
“Coupling art with experiences resulted in a powerful delivery that stunned listeners, leaving them unsettled and eager to contribute toward the Lifeline Syria campaign,” he says.
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