Syrian women’s community leader, humans rights defender, teacher & activist, Afraa Hashem

Frankly Speaking, with Lynne Franks & Friends

When Afraa Hasheem’s friend, Waad Al-kateab, suggested they featured her life in the film she was making about Aleppo during the revolution, Afraa agreed, wishing to share her family and her people’s stories from the ruins of her beloved city as far and wide as possible. That film, For Sama, has now gone on to win several global, prestigious awards and crucially, its impact has allowed her story and the story of thousands of refugees from Syria to resonate with huge audiences across the world.

As a survivor of arrest and horrific violence and having dealt with her feelings of survivor’s guilt, Afraa opens up and shares how she stayed positive and remained hopeful in spite of such tragedy. Never one to give up, and knowing there are still so many in need, she is a true warrior and fights on, continuing to take care of the young people in her community, her family, and studying new healing techniques to deal with the psychological and physical damage done to so many of her people

Trigger warning & content warning: Please note that this episode contains descriptions of violence and of traumatic events that some people may find disturbing.

You can follow Afraa on Instagram at @hashemafraa and to learn more about the film or how you can help please follow @forsamafilm and visit actionforsama.com

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This episode was produced by Lynne Franks and Tanya Anastasiadis.

Production support and graphics by Lotte Micklethwaite.