- Sometimes it is difficult to stand up for peace and peaceful coexistence. How do you experience this?
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My extensive experience as a journalist at the United Nations in Geneva, particularly during the peace talks on Syria, have taught me that peace is crucial to achieving harmonious coexistence. Yet my experiences have also taught me that peace processes are often difficult, protracted and sometimes even doomed to fail, as I have experienced quite painfully in my native Syria. Achieving peace does not always succeed, which is why my masterโs project focuses on conflict resolution and prevention. It is crucial that we learn to talk to each other. Because if we donโt, there will be no dialogue, and without dialogue there will be no peace.
- How would like to continue pursuing your work?
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I have begun developing my masterโs project โDialogue Designโ into a PhD. My aim is to provide a tool that helps to reduce hatred and related phenomena in conflict zones. Events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza have also increased the potential for conflict within Swiss society. I am currently looking for potential cooperation partners to take this project forward. Who knows, perhaps there will be an opportunity to collaborate with ZHdK.
- What role does justice play?
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A crucial one. Dialogue is essential to achieving justice. We find ourselves amid a triangular relationship. Justice forms the social basis for peaceful coexistence. Currently serving as a research assistant in the BA in International Design Management at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, I observe how lecturers and students from different cultures meet and learn from each other. This strikes me as an impressive example of justice, which I have been privileged to experience at ZHdK.
- How has experiencing different cultures shaped your identity?
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I consider the past to be integral to every personโs life. It defines our roots and forms the basis of our identity. Living in different cultures has kept broadening my perspective on life. While my present identity is rooted in my former identity, it has continuously evolved as opportunities have presented themselves. I am still passionate about photography, which I already pursued in Aleppo while documenting the old city before and after the war. Now, I am mainly photographing Swiss events. I have one big wish: to document my experiences and memories of Aleppo in a photography book.