<
https://www.positive.news/society/the-mobile-library-bringing-books-to-rural-syria/>
"In a dusty clearing inside Kafr Lusin camp, in the rural reaches of northern
Idlib in Syria, a brightly coloured bus pulls up with books and cartoon
characters painted across its sides.
Within minutes, children begin moving towards it, curious at first, then
excited, gathering around the doors as they open to reveal shelves of books,
boxes of art supplies and a small puppet theatre.
Soon, a performance begins, and the space around the bus fills with the
laughter of children who have had little chance to experience anything like
this. For a few hours, there are stories to listen to, pictures to draw, games
to play and characters to cheer. In a place where childhood has too often been
shaped by displacement, fear and waiting, the arrival of a bus can feel like a
small festival.
The project is known as the Mobile Cultural Bus, an initiative launched by
Syria’s Ministry of Culture with support from a group of volunteers. Its aim is
simple enough: to take books, art and cultural activities to children and
families in areas that have little or no access to libraries, community centres
or safe creative spaces.
For the children who run to meet it, however, the bus is more than a travelling
library. It is a break in the day, a doorway into stories and, for some, the
first time they have been invited to make something, imagine something or hold
a book of their own.
Syria’s long years of conflict have torn through the country’s education and
cultural life. Schools have been damaged or destroyed, community centres have
closed, and families have been uprooted again and again. In rural areas and
camps, where daily life can be reduced to the search for safety, food, water
and work, cultural activities are often treated as a luxury.
Mohammad Murad, the project director, says that is exactly why the bus was
created. “We realised that many children had never stepped foot inside a
library,” he says. “Our thinking was simple: if they cannot go to culture, we
must bring culture to them.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
