Amidst the rubble of war and memories of pain in the streets of the Yarmouk camp in the Syrian capital, Damascus, Saeed Mahmoud Ghanem stands as a renewed story of hope between the destroyed walls. Saeed searches for the remains of his house, which he only lived in for 4 days before it was destroyed by a shell, so that the dream of a new house becomes just a painful memory, but Saeed He did not surrender to the destruction, but decided to turn this pain into strength and plant seeds of hope among the ruins.
With the end of Bashar al-Assad’s rule and the population gradually returning to the camp, Saeed sees in every painting he creates an embodiment of the steadfastness of his people and their insistence on a dignified life. In a small corner of his mother’s house, which became his only refuge after the destruction of his home, Saeed sits under the light of a single candle and persistently creates artistic paintings from the rubble. And the rubble, he collects scattered pieces of destroyed homes and reshapes them, to tell stories about Palestine, return, and nostalgia. For Said, every work of art is a child who creates it from his heart and from His pain, every piece carries a soul and a memory, every touch of his hands is like the beating of a heart full of hope.
In his project, which he called “Hope from Under the Ruins,” Saeed proves that beauty can be born even among ruins, and that the human spirit is capable of overcoming adversity. He tells with a smile full of pain about a small water tap he found under the rubble of his house. He kept it and made a painting out of it telling the world that Small memories can keep the soul alive.
Despite the power outage and lack of resources, Saeed stands tall as a symbol of Palestinian steadfastness. He lights a candle, melts glue, and places pieces of debris one by one as if he is rebuilding his life and dreams that were destroyed by the war. He sees in every painting a ray of hope and in every touch a message that says, “We are a people who do not die.”
While the people of the camp are gradually returning after years of displacement, Saeed feels that life is beginning to breathe again in the place. He speaks proudly of his hope of one day returning to Palestine and of the indomitable will of his people. Saeed says, “We do not only create art, but we create life and memory. We restore hope to hearts.” broken and chart a path towards a better tomorrow.
As Saeed says, “I consider every painting I create to be one of my children, and every piece carries a story and a memory, reminding us that we are a people who never die.”
