The Beauty of Individual Action

Last Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of hearing Sama Wareh speak about her complex, nonlinear journey from Venice to the Syrian border. Ms. Wareh, whose curiosity drove her around the world as she followed her interests, addressed the powerful impacts of art as a form of activism in the wake of a disaster. The incredible story that she shared with us provided glimpses into a life unfettered, for she possessed an innate sense of freedom and motivation that drove her to become an ecologist, a filmmaker, a teacher, and a humanitarian. I was struck by the power she wielded as an individual; she created a school for Syrian refugees on the border of Turkey and Syria without the help of any outside organizations or NGOs. Moreover, the fact that she did all of her work within the tight window of her vacation time reminded me that no one is too busy to help others. Beyond her personal story, Sama Wareh highlighted the prevalence of "disaster capitalism" as a scourge plaguing legitimate relief efforts on a global scale. I was fascinated by the idea of exploitation in the wake of disaster; as a result, I decided to read an article by Naomi Klein, one of the pioneers in identifying and naming the phenomenon. Ms. Klein pointed out that the chaos in the wake of a disaster, such as the Syrian refugee crisis, leads to economic exploitation as tangential actors seek to profit from the new situation around them. In the case of Sama Wareh, the refugees that she encountered were facing disproportionate rent increases, crippling their chances of recovery after escaping oppression. This double suffering forces refugees to escape twice, which puts them in an almost inescapable cycle. Overall, I was struck both by the individual impact that Sama Wareh has made and the global realities that she illuminated, and I was extremely grateful to be able to attend the talk.

Sources: 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/06/naomi-klein-how-power-profits-from-disaster