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Protestors destroy images of Assad
Billboard on the outskirts of Palmyra. Photograph credit: Jo-Anne Duggan
Having spent some time in Syria, I’ve been following the uprisings there with some concern. The people that my family and I interacted with in the cities and villages were unfailingly courteous and kind to us, the strangers in their land. My heart goes out to those who have been affected by the cruel response of the repressive regime to their protests.
Travelling through Syria I was intrigued by the images of the Assad family that dominate the landscape: the lofty hilltop statues, the portraits that grace every official building, the billboards alongside otherwise deserted stretches of rural roads, and across the entrances to some of the towns.
The Assad family has effectively ruled Syria since Hafez al-Assad, father of the current president seized power in 1970. Hafez al-Asad is said to have ruled through a powerful – and brutal – network of spies and informers. His son, who took power after his father’s death in 2000 tried different strategies, releasing prisoners, shutting down the notorious Mezze prison and encouraging intellectual debate. The Damascus Spring, as it was called, proved short lived – but a new wave of repression only temporarily put the lid on resentment.
The entrance to Ugarit, arguably the world's oldest archive. Photograph credit: Jo-Anne Duggan
I was particularly taken by those images of the family that mark the country’s great heritage sites: Palymra, Ugarit and Mari, for example, linking the Assad family to the great kingdoms of the past.
In recent weeks I have been following media reports that show people destroying images of Assad, setting fire to posters, and in one instance attaching a shoe to a poster, the ultimate insult!
What is at stake here is the manner in which the archive is co-opted for political ends – to entrench the power of the Assad family and their right to rule.
Billboard on a rural road in the vicinity of Syria's "dead cities". Photograph credit: Jo-Anne Duggan
For photographs of images of Assad destroyed by protesters, see the links below.
Syrian protestor beats poster of Assad with a shoe : The Spokesman Review
Syrian protestors set fire to poster of Assad: abc news international
Protestors shout as they burn poster of Assad: The Columbus Dispatch
Protesters deface a giant poster of Assad: CBC News
