Reconciliation with the pain through embracing the past: Message of hope and resilience via the Ugaritic alphabet

Abstract

After witnessing my home country suffering through a vicious civil war, this inquiry initially intended to represent Syria in a positive light, as a place of civilization, differently to what we have been constantly seeing in the news in recent years. However, the research led me to more meaningful discoveries. With the help of Syrian participants, I discovered not only a way to promote the country as a place of peace and prosperity, but also a way to invite the viewer to reconcile with grief and adversity they have experienced by embracing the word ‘hope’. In this visual essay, I share an invitation to reconcile with one’s self, past and hardship through the Ugaritic alphabet.