A Typical Day in Damascus; Fragmented Echoes

by Fatma Algaz

What Syrians do to pass their time: play a deck of cards called ‘Shaddah’ (شدة in Arabic). Syria welcomes all religions with the majority being Islam, and since gambling is frowned upon in Islam the game is usually played without any sort of incentive or money. Since Damascus is a small city, it wasn’t unusual to pass by a couple of friends you know playing this game.

“Everything can be broken down into pieces, even cultures, religions, and languages. I put down pieces of each, some representing letters of my Arabic name, some of Islamic geometric design, and some being a symbol of Islam as a whole. The colors I chose here also represent the main color theme that is shared throughout my pieces like green and red. These two colors are shared between the Middle Eastern countries’ flags, specifically the two countries I am from, UAE and Syria.”

Growing up with a Syrian mom and an Emirati dad in Dubai, I've never been sure of my identity. As my family decided to move to the U.S., I had to assimilate into a new alien culture. Throughout my adolescence the different cultures mixed and mashed, often I would ask myself to which culture I belonged. Slowly I began to discover culture to be dynamic. I wasn't either or, but both. The unique meld of the cultures I've experienced defines who I am today. I wished to express this experience and found it through creating art.