Aswat - Syrian Voices

“How does it feel to leave everything behind and start afresh in a foreign country?”

One of our more moving experiences was visiting the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg and walking through the exhibition, Aswat which means 'voices' in Arabic. The exhibit shared the stories of Syrians who had immigrated to Sweden and told their stories of leaving their homeland, the losses they endured and what hope they had for the future.

After more than six years of civil war in one of the deadliest ongoing conflicts in the world, seven million Syrians have left their homes and in 2017, Syria became the largest group of immigrants in Sweden.

In 2016, a web-based project #Syrien200 was launched by Swedish TV. The website presents 200 people who have fled from Syria to Sweden. Their stories focus on the escape, the reasons for it and about how they are doing in Sweden. 

This exhibition shows Sweden's commitment to bring more awareness and compassion to the struggles of the Syrian people living in their country. After November 2018,  the exhibit moves to Stockholm.

Click on the image to hear their stories.