Le Journal de la Photographie

Matilde Gattoni: The Swallows of Syria Lebanon - Tripoli - Zaynab, 16-year-old, comes from Al-Khaldeeye, in Homs. She fled with her family three months ago, after the Army repeatedly knocked at her house to look for her father. A honour student, Zaynab was prevented to attend the lessons after some soldiers kidnapped, raped and killed... Lebanon - Faqaa - Sayyidah, 23-year-old, comes from Qusayr, where her husband used to run a petrol station and make 2,000 USD per month. Their nice villa was destroyed during the clashes four months ago, when they decided to leave. During the trip, two of her friends were killed by snipers right ... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Rasha, 27-year-old with two kids, comes from Soran. She arrived in Soran on the 1st of March to flee the heavy fightings between rebels and security forces. Apart from her husband and kids, the rest of her family is still in Syria, but Rasha would like to settle in Lebanon an... Lebanon - Faqaa - Somaya, 56 years old, comes from Talbiseh, a small town on the outskirts of Homs. Seven months ago, her 31-year-old son Ali was arrested by masked men soldiers during a raid in her house. Three days later, his severely tortured body was found in a nearby sewage ditch. "He had a ... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Nour, 45 years old escaped from Al Qusair with her kids after the army had entered into their house when they were away leaving behind them women's lingerie hanging across the dining room and a writing on a wall that said "You are lucky your women were not here". Her husband d... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Karam, 28-year-old, comes from Homs. Her house was in Bab Amr, right in front of the tanks of the Syrian Army. After being moved by the rebels to another house at the centre of the neighbourhood, four months ago she decided to leave, together with her, family. During the cland... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Tara, 25 years old (left holding her son) escaped from Baba Amro, Homs where she was living with ther husband and two kids. She left Syria after they had destroyed her house and her husband stayed there to help his father. She has no news since she left and still hoping to hea... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Asma is 30 year old and she escaped from Al Qusair with her family after the Syrian Army killed one of her kids. "One day they knocked at the door, when I opened I was carrying my baby in my arms, they asked me where my husband was and I told them he was not in, so one of the ... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Nour, a 5 year old girl from Al Qusair escaped Syria 4 days ago with her mother and brothers after having lived almost 3 months in an undeground cave away from the shellings. She is now hosted by a lebanese family. Nour is still psychologically traumatized by the war, everytim... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Rabiah, 15 years old, comes from the village of Zahra. She arrived in Lebanon almost three months ago, together with her family. A 9th grade student, she already lost one year at school because of the uprising. She constantly has nightmares, where she dreams of bullets chasing... Lebanon - Tripoli - Badiah, 51-year-old, comes from the neighborhood of Bab Drieb, in Homs. She arrived in Lebanon two months ago, after the army stormed into her house and arrested on of her sons. One of her sisters was so shocked by the event that she went into a coma and suffered brain damages... Lebanon - Tripoli - Samira, 28-year-old, came from Hama almost three months ago, together with her four kids. She had to change five cars and bribe her way through the military checkpoints up to the Lebanese border. It cost her 400 USD, four times the average monthly wage of her husband. She now... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Mona, 27-year-old, comes from al Qusayr. She arrived in Lebanon three months ago with her husband and two small kids, after her brother in law got killed because he was a member of the Free Syrian Army. A former Arabic teacher, now Mona spends most of her day at home, looking... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Aziza, 35-year-old, is a Turkmen Syrian from Qusayr. She fled her home country two months ago, after her husband and her sister-in-law (whose kids she is now raising) were both killed by sniper fire while going to the souq. She constantly goes back to Qusayr to check on her fa... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Latifah, 42-year-old, comes from Zahra, where she used to live a comfortable life before the revolution started. Her husband was managing a transport company, but the vehicles got stuck and destroyed four months ago, after the village came under heavy shelling during clashes b... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Djamilla, 56 years old escaped from Baba Amro, Homs 4 months ago after months of living in terror in and out an underground cave where she was hiding with her family during the bombings and shellings. Djamilla is now being hosted by a Lebanese family along with 20 other member... Lebanon - Tripoli - Zaynab, 16-year-old, comes from Al-Khaldeeye, in Homs. She fled with her family three months ago, after the Army repeatedly knocked at her house to look for her father. A honour student, Zaynab was prevented to attend the lessons after some soldiers kidnapped, raped and killed... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Wurud, 50-year-old, comes from Zahra. She arrived four months ago with all her family of 22 people, after the Syrian security forces set up a checkpoint close to her house to clash against nearby positions of the Free Syrian Army. “One day they opened fire on both sides of hou... Lebanon - Faqaa - Selma, 35 years old, is from Zahra. She arrived two weeks ago, after her house was razed by tanks and mortar shelling of the Syrian Army. “We became refugees in our own place, just because we are Sunni”, she says bitterly. Without documents and money, her family is forced to rel... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Djamilla, (right) 56 years old escaped from Baba Amro, Homs 4 months ago after months of living in terror in and out an underground cave where she was hiding with her family during the bombings and shellings. Djamilla is now being hosted by a Lebanese family along with 20 othe... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Najiba, 63 years old, comes from the village of Soran, North of Hama. She arrived in Lebanon eleven months ago, after the first protests erupted in Hama. “The Army was shooting at everyone, I remember seeing 50 or 60 people dead”. She now lives in a concrete shed, in an orchar... Lebanon - Faqaa - Selma, 35 years old, is from Zahra. She arrived two weeks ago, after her house was razed by tanks and mortar shelling of the Syrian Army. “We became refugees in our own place, just because we are Sunni”, she says bitterly. Without documents and money, her family is forced to rel... Lebanon - Tripoli - Zahra, 46 years old, arrived in Tripoli from Zahra almost one year ago, during Ramadan, after seeing the bodies of the first protesters killed by the security forces being paraded along the village at funerals. Her family savings ran out last month, and she doesn't know how t... Lebanon - Jdeideh - Husniyah, 80-year-old, comes from the village of Nazarieh. She arrived alone, three months ago, and she is now hosted in a small two-room-house together with seven other members of her family. Without money, they are helped by some neighbours who donated them blankets and som...