Syrien N’est Fait#3 - 2018 Edition

Syrien N’est Fait returned from the 1st to the 5th of August for its third edition at Les Grands Voisins (Paris-14th district) to highlight the Syrian artistic and cultural scene in Europe. More than 4,000 people came to enjoy the 5-day festival, attending various performances, exhibitions and debates by more than 20 artists and 15 civil society organizations and journalists. This is without considering the more than 40 volunteers whose help made the event possible.

This year, the theme of the festival was “Body and Liberty” and a wide room was dedicated to women, with a devoted night. Thus, the conference “Being a female journalist in Syria now” and the talk “the Syrian revolution and women’s liberation”, followed by the screening of the documentary “Haya, rebel of Raqqa” with Haya El Ali, were among the highlights of the festival. Syrien N’est Fait called attention to the actions and contributions of these women, whether they are civil society leaders, journalists and/or activists. Media have been responsive and relayed our initiative, giving the floor to these women, especially in two good articles from Telerama and TV5 Monde. The conference “Syria: and tomorrow?” in partnership with iReMMO and the panel discussion “Art facing dictatorship” in partnership with the Caravane culturelle syrienne have also encountered a real success and proved the public interest, as well as the participants interest, for such events.

The 2018 edition was also an occasion to discover rich artistic creations and to enjoy vibrant live performances. “And if tomorrow?” from the dance collective Nafass brightened the festival weekend. The music, always of great diversity, brought some of the most memorable moments of exchange. The rap of Jundi Majhul Watar and the electro sets of the DJs Colonel Abu Diab and Samakeh, from Berlin and Vienna, then met the oriental jazz from the Jesser band and the popular music from the Syrian-Palestinian singer Abo Gabi. Syrien N’est Fait is also many artists: painters, drawers, sculptors, graphic artists, directors and photographers who filled Les Grands Voisins’ space for 5 days and let us discover their work.

The festival was once again full of the rhythm of exchange and meeting, whether for the 5 days of the festival or during the dancing, cooking and screen-printing workshops, offered to the public. The 2018 edition was a success and we owe it to the growing interest of the public, and to the participation of the numerous associations working to support the actions of the Syrian civil society.