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A boat carrying 500 refugees sunk at sea. The story of two survivors

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A boat carrying 500 refugees sunk at sea. The story of two survivors

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Melissa Fleming
at TEDxThessaloniki

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Melissa Fleming: A boat carrying 500 refugees sunk at sea. The story of two survivors

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Aboard an overloaded ship carrying more than 500 refugees, a young woman becomes an unlikely hero. This single, powerful story, told by Melissa Fleming of the UN's refugee agency, gives a human face to the sheer numbers of human beings trying to escape to better lives ...

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From Syria to Rio 2016 - The story of Yusra Mardini | Refugee Olympic Team

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From Syria to Rio 2016 - The story of Yusra Mardini | Refugee Olympic Team

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From Syria to Rio 2016 - The story of Yusra Mardini | Refugee Olympic Team

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Abdallah Al-Omari

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The official website of Abdalla Omari - Syrian painter and filmmaker.

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The Refugee Crisis Told Through Syrian Artists

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The Refugee Crisis Told Through Syrian Artists

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Last week I had the opportunity to visit Za'atari refugee camp just outside of Amman, Jordan. Of the 80,000 refugees living there, almost all are Syrians. Arriving in Za'atari, my only context on the experiences of refugees -- of people running from war -- had been informed by images captured by journalists. At the camp, I was brought to an art studio filled with images originated by Syrian artists. These artists paint and sculpt memories of their homeland, either to immortalize the memory of its beauty or as a form to express grief of searing images -- their houses destroyed, their neighbors and countrymen unburied on the streets. Many of the paintings explore the role of media in communicating the conflict to the outside world- how the conflict is being framed and packaged to people, what is being highlighted and what isn't.

Though I saw a lot of things at Za'atari, I felt it's important to share these artworks because they communicate so directly the experience of civil war and are made in the hands of those most affected. The names of the artists have not been disclosed by UNHCR, and I didn't have the opportunity to speak with them directly but I include some personal interpretations and reactions from when I first saw these pieces.

The first painting is a recreation of the infamous photograph captured by a journalist of a three-year old boy, Aylan, washing up on the shores, an image that ignited international outrage. This photograph woke up the world, while Aylan himself looked to be sleeping. In this recreation a keyboard is included next to Aylan reinforcing the image of his sleep, as a lullaby is played in the waves.

In this image we see two children framing themselves within a television screen. Perhaps this is a commentary on the limitations of media to communicate a full and real experience, by only being able to capture what can fit physically into the screen of a television.

This image is perhaps a commentary on the inability of media to capture the colourless atmosphere of war. Or a comment on what existed before war, on the importance of media in the survival of Syria's pre-conflict memory. This is paramount to Syrians; some children are too young (or of the 4500 born within the camp) to have never known the beauty of where they come from, and this tears parents apart. I met a man named Abu who told me "I love my country more than my eyes, because at night I can dream of it."

Expressions of national grief, of futures destroyed.

An image perhaps suggesting the blood sacrifice it will take to build a new country, or indicating re-birth: a Syria re-built and growing stronger than the weight of its tragedy.

This room is energetic, as artists work through the shock of their history, the contradictions of civil war, of forced displacement, the fear of letting go of place -- of identity, of culture, of community, and the context that home offers us.

The grief Syrians have faced in their past has been newly complicated by their present, delaying any confirmation of a brighter future. What refugees face now is known as Second Exile: first you are denied a home in your own country and then denied a home in the country that you're in. Za'atari houses only 80,000 of the four million that are displaced outside of Syria. People who come from lives like ours: they are entrepreneurs, university students and architects, but have been stripped of their right to exercise these skills because they don't have work visas. So they're running out of cash, and forcibly becoming an impoverished population.

In the future, the Syria History and Civilisation Group plan to house these works in a museum. But in the decisions the international community faces today, as to whether we accept new neighbors or whether we don't, perception is everything. Images are driving public opinion because they are all that can. Aylan's photograph is a testament to this. For most of us, images feel like the closest we get. But we are closer than we think; this crisis is coming to our door wherever we live, whether in Europe or America. And even with the facts, it can be hard to empathize with people without hearing them tell their own experiences. I hope the first-hand power of this art can serve to bridge that gap.

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The Refugee Crisis Told Through Syrian Artists

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Last week I had the opportunity to visit Za'atari refugee camp just outside of Amman, Jordan. Of the 80,000 refugees living there, almost all are Syrians. Arriving in Za'atari, my only context on the experiences of refugees -- of people running from war -- had been informed by images captured by journalists.

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Warsan Shire

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The refugee crisis and the human tragedy unfolding in Syria is nothing new, but sometimes it's easy for people to dismiss and ignore what is abstract and only told in two-minute sound bites on the nightly news.

It's not so easy to ignore when the image of a three-year-old boy's body washed up on shore like debris ends up on your timeline. I won't bother elaborating on the reasons why I firmly believe we should be sharing that image and reacting to it. I am physically and emotionally exhausted and depleted by the debate. A debate, I need to remind everyone, we are fortunate to be able to engage in, while children are dying over there every single day. It is a luxury to be allowed to question whether we should have the choice or not to see the disastrous consequences of the world's inaction on what is inarguably the worst humanitarian crisis we have seen in a long time when the people experiencing the tragedy have no choice at all.

Whether we see these images or not, these people are dying. And for every person I've seen pop up in my feed or in the comments section of the numerous articles passing by who claims that parents who place their kids in harm's way are "irresponsible" and "greedy" and callously trying to "jump the immigration line" (yes, these are real comments), I have no words for you. I refuse to engage in your hatred and discrimination and small-minded, petty inhumanity.

Instead, I am posting Somali-British poet Warsan Shire's poem Home here.
I have seen a few of my friends post a line or two from this poem (often not even attributed to her) because it was recently quoted in a Guardian article, and I felt many of you would enjoy being treated to its entirety.

The entire poem is lovely and moving and explains so well what I no longer have any words or energy to explain.

Read it and weep. And then, if you feel so inclined, sign this non-partisan petition urging the Canadian government to act on the Syrian refugee crisis. It is imperative that we do something now that many who were not are now paying attention. With a month before elections, the government can be coerced and pressured into enacting real and concrete change that can affect hundreds and thousands of lives.

Don't let little Aylan's death have been in vain.
no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well breath bloody in their throats means something more than journey. no one crawls under fences no one chooses refugee camps or strip searches where your is better than a truckload niggers with their hands out than fourteen men between or the insults are easier leave your clothes behind your survival is more important

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The refugee crisis and the human tragedy unfolding in Syria is nothing new, but sometimes it's easy for people to dismiss and ignore what is abstract and only told in two-minute sound bites on the nightly news. It's not so easy to ignore when the image of a three-year-old boy's body washed up on shore like debris ends up on your timeline.

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ABC News producer Rym Momtaz and comic book artist Dalibor Talajic

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For the best experience, rotate your phone horizontally.

Swipe left or tap the page to advance the story.

This is the true story of one mother and her family who have been trapped inside the Syrian town of Madaya for more than a year. Madaya Mom is fighting off starvation, unsanitary living conditions and violent threats as she and her children are caught between warring factions in the country's civil war.

"Madaya Mom," is a collaboration of ABC News and Marvel.
Marvel is part of ABC News' parent company, Disney.

For more Madaya Mom content, including a discussion guide for teachers, click here.

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For the best experience, rotate your phone horizontally. Swipe left or tap the page to advance the story. This is the true story of one mother and her family who have been trapped inside the Syrian town of Madaya for more than a year.

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The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained

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The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained

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Syrian Refugees: A Human Crisis Revealed in a Powerful Short Film

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Syrian Refugees: A Human Crisis Revealed in a Powerful Short Film

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Lior Sperandeo

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Syrian Refugees: A Human Crisis Revealed in a Powerful Short Film

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See a harrowing landing in this striking short film that captures the poignant story of Syrian people seeking safety and those that come to their aid. The Short Film Showcase spotlights exceptional short videos created by filmmakers from around the web and selected by National Geographic editors.

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From Trump to Assad: Syrian artist reimagines world leaders as vulnerable refugees

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From Trump to Assad: Syrian artist reimagines world leaders as vulnerable refugees

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Abdalla Al-Omari

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The Syrian War has been going on for six years now and with series of attacks and counter-attacks, it is only the common people who have been on the receiving it. As global leaders argue about their stand and strategies, millions have been displaced and forced to flee their homeland and killed. Sadly, the figure of displacement is highest since World War II, and yet, there are very little being done to help the people in distress.

While European nations debate allowing more refugees in the countries, several world superpowers have denied them entry. Amid all dismay and pain, artists around the world have come together to fight for their rights through art. And one such artist's work has gone viral. Syrian painter Abdalla Al Omari reimagined global leaders as vulnerable refugees and it has taken the Internet by storm. From US President Donald Trump to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Al Omari has tried to alienate them from the position of power, and the results are startling.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Al Omari said, "My aim somehow shifted from an expression of anger to a more vivid desire of disarming these figures, (to) picture them outside their positions of power."

Abdalla Al Omari project, called "The Vulnerability Series" is poignant and unabashed. His works are currently displayed at the solo exhibition in Dubai at Ayyam Gallery. Works include portraits that show Trump as an unkempt refugee with a sleeping child in his arms, Russian President Vladimir Putin as a beggar, as well as former British Prime Minister David Cameron and of course Syrian President Assad.

Al Omari a former resident of Damascus fled home in 2012 and currently resides in Brussels after he was granted an asylum by Belgium. He has spent 19 months reimagining the world leaders and his works have also been showcased at Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris in France and Cultuurcentrum Strombeek, Belgium.

From deadly chemical attacks to bombardments, the war has had many fatalities and most of them were children. Artists often used powerful images of young kids to highlight their plight. But this is the first time someone swapped places of the powerful with that of the powerless, the vulnerable and it's astounding.

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From Trump to Assad: Syrian artist reimagines world leaders as vulnerable refugees

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The Syrian War has been going on for six years now and with series of attacks and counter-attacks, it is only the common people who have been on the receiving it. As global leaders argue about their stand and strategies, millions have been displaced and forced to flee their homeland and killed.