The Reitz Union Auditorium is generally full of the eager chatter of Preview students or the laughter of Gators catching a midweek movie. But on Monday night, the only sounds were the voices of five survivors and the quiet sobs of the audience.
Survivors of the large-scale massacres that have been plaguing Syria since 2011 shared their stories at Voices from Syria: Survivors Speak Out, an event hosted by UF’s Arabic Cultural Association and Amnesty International.
President Bernie Machen opened the event, calling the conflict between President Bashar al-Assad and those who oppose his regime “one of the most pressing conflicts of our time.”
The men and women spoke of mothers hugging their dead sons and daughters and of doctors who had no choice but to watch children die.
“What we are here for today is … to tell a little, small part of what is going on there [Syria], and we want you to pass the message,” said Amineh Sawan, a 23-year-old who survived a chemical weapons attack. “We want you to tell the truth.”
Riham Hamed, a UF statistics senior, said the event was powerful.
“They weren’t just people in Syria. They’re actually activists,” she said. “They stood up for their people around them.”
Sameer Saboungi, UF Arabic Cultural Association president, said the speakers are a testimony to the Syrian people’s resilience.
“My personal hopes are that this event can help educate people about one perspective on the situation in Syria and give a voice to the people from inside Syria,” he said.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 2/11/2014 under the headline "Syrian survivors speak out at Reitz"]
Mohamad Khir Alwazir speaks of his experience as a survivor of a chemical weapons attack in Syria. The Arabic Cultural Association at UF and UF Amnesty International hosted the event Monday evening.
