DOHA: Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager, Cultural Village Foundation-Katara, opened the ‘Peace to Aleppo’ exhibition on Tuesday in the presence of
H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson, Qatar Museums. The two-week solo exhibition by prominent French-Syrian photojournalist Ammar Abd Rabbo is organised by Katara and the French embassy. The ambassadors of France, Syria, Japan and Ecuador were present.
Over 30 photographs are showcased at the exhibition to document the extraordinary and mundane aspects of everyday life in the war-torn Aleppo, as the city is besieged like other cities in Syria.
“Hosting this important exhibition by prominent photojournalist Abd Rabbo stems from Katara’s keenness to continuously support the art of photography as a significant mechanism to disseminate awareness about the importance of photographs in conveying the message of peace on the regional and international levels,” said Dr Al Sulaiti.
“Through his exhibition, Abd Rabbo has succeeded in depicting the tragedy of the besieged people in Aleppo. It is a real manifestation of their daily suffering,” he added.
French Ambassador Eric Chevallier said: “After five years of calls by Syrian people for dignity and freedom, the exhibition intends to stress the fact that the Syrian people persist on surviving suffering due to their calls for democracy and freedom.”
He said the exhibition is part of the Francophonie days to stress the human value of solidarity as an integral part of culture. “The exhibition illustrates people’s persistence on surviving despite challenges. One of the photographs depicts people while chanting and dancing during an anti-regime demonstration in Bustan Al Qasr, other photograph shows a father and daughter move from one house to another as they avoid the sniper fire on the street in Jallum area of Aleppo.
“Another photograph shows two men praying next to a destroyed bus used as a barricade in the ancient city of Aleppo,” said Abd Rabbo.
The exhibition have been held in several places in France, including Paris, Alencon and Mandelieu. Five photographs on display were shown in Berlin as part of a collective exhibition ‘My Voice Rings Out For Syria’.
In ‘Peace to Aleppo’, one of the images was chosen by worldwide artist Banksy and was shown at his ‘Dismaland’ project in England last year.
