A Climate of Unease for Artists in Syria

Tags: Syria , Civil Society in West Asia

In the recently published article in the New York Times by Michael Kimmelman he writes how under President Hafez al-Assad red lines of intolerance are not clear, increasing, not diminishing, the sense of uneasiness and tendency toward self-censorship for Syrian artists.

Commercial globalization and the Web, having promised to erode the power of authoritarian regimes and foster new cultural riches, mostly have just concentrated more wealth in the hands of those close to power. And, aside from a proliferation of the usual chain stores, boutique hotels and restaurants that are today’s fashionable excuse for “worldly” culture, they have produced among Syrians only a climate of greater unease.

If anything, Syrian artists, writers and intellectuals complain that liberties have been only further curtailed by a regime still trying to grasp the challenges of the Web. Every book, art catalog, film script and television program, big or small, still runs a gantlet of government censors.Most performing arts events in Syria are still state sponsored.

Young Syrian directors who grew up with the success of Syrian dramas see television as where the money and opportunities are now, and they produce shows that long for a backward world and that hide in religion and the historical past, no matter how bad the past was.

In the meantime, also a young literary scene has developed, publishing abroad if necessary, and writing about issues like “social diversity, life among refugees and minorities, subjects that used to be unexplored.” Perhaps a scene like this creates windows of opportunity for changes to take place in the future? As one of the interviewees states "I am not desperate yet, but I am less hopeful."

The read the article click here

Picture: Posters for Hollywood films outside a cinema in Syria, The New York Times Company.