The Syrian Uprising and the Power of Stories

Newsletter Civil Society in West Asia-Issue 4

Tags: Iraq , Syria , Civil Society in West Asia

On  a daily basis scores of Syrian activists upload their YouTube footage  of protests and the regime’s atrocities, hoping that someone will watch  them, become outraged, and act in ways to support the uprising. Given  the regime’s information blackout, a lot can be learned from these video  snapshots. Yet otherwise the eerie silence from Syria has been deafening. Rarely  are Syrian activists given a voice to express their grievances, wishes,  desires, aspirations and dilemmas. It is against this background that  this newsletter has given the floor to some of such Syrian  writer-activists who, despite the high risks involved, continue to publish their commentary in the Arabic-language media. It is in the power of their stories that these Syrian and Arab authors prove themselves to be true revolutionaries.