Blue, red, yellow, and green were the colors chosen by a group of activists called "A Human Being´s Revolution for Life" to celebrate the second anniversary of the Syrian uprising. Through this initiative they stand up to the world and to international media that insist on viewing and depicting their revolution as a civil war. "The violence is only a step on the path", they reflect on their creations. Despite suffering unbearable pressure, Syrians continue to create films, paintings, music, and slogans from the heart of their revolution. From the town of Kafr Nabl to the world.
The initiative marks four calendar days with the colors of the dreams born from the loss and pain of the Syrian population:
Blue: "Why?" a bitter and angry question. A cry in the face of humanity smeared with sarcasm. The Syrian people weep for the world that failed them and failed to break their own humanity. That was the message that activists intended to deliver on the first day of their four-day celebrations of the anniversary of the uprising (March 15). They chose the color blue because it is the color chosen by the United nations as a reminder of its role in protecting and defending freedom and human rights. After losing hope in the institutions, they send a message to the people of the world, by facing their adversity with creativity, beauty and sarcasm. Activists created a huge graffiti of a silent blue loudspeaker, and another of the numbers of victims, detainees, those who are missing or have been arrested, refugees and displaced, in hope that their cries will awake the world.
Aware that the world has gone deaf to their pain, activists created a painting born from the heart of their revolution in Kafr Nabl and touring the rest of the Syrian cities and the capitals of the world. The painting states in several languages: "To the people of the world, our suffering has uncovered that the humanity in which you pride yourself is the one thing you should be ashamed of."
Red: "Haven't you had enough of our blood? Until when?" A question written in the color of martyrdom was shared on March 16 in memory of those disappeared, taken to death, prison or torture. "Salute to those who walked to their death smiling in the light of freedom", was the message shared on the second day of their celebration on walls, banners and websites. Mostafa Kurman, Ghiath Matar, Bassel Shehade, Ayham Ghazoul were some of the names repeated, all of them symbols of the struggle against tyranny, together with slogans like "Mothers of martyrs, we are your children", "Syria is ours, not Assad´s", and "We will continue, until victory".
Yellow: "Our land will not cry in vain" was the message chosen on March 17, shared through yellow banners. A call for love and unity, an uprising within the uprising, an attempt to lay the foundations of the moral revolution in the face of the attempts to push it away from its course. The message includes self-criticism, mainly addressing the political opposition. "Opposition opposing the people. We will burn your pictures too if you don´t represent the hopes and aspirations of the people". Other messages included "Islamist, secular, show me your programs and let me choose" and "Don't give me a passport, the hearts of the people are my nationality" (verse by renown Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish) .
Green: "A revolution of spring, a revolution of dignity", was the message of hope shared on March 18 through green graffitis covering Syrian walls in many cities throught the country. "One people, one destiny" and "Our provisions are small and the road to freedom is long but we will continue on our path", were two of the most repeated messages. Graffiti has been a key manifestation of resistance since the beginning of the uprising, as exhibitions like "The Walls of Saraqib, an Icon of Life" show.
Each day of the celebration was rich with activities within Syria and outside its borders, including both the liberated areas, the ones still under the control of the regime, and the refugee camps, where teams of volunteers visited (Ghazi, Antab and Al-Zaatari camps) and organized festivals for children.
The main weakness of the event, according to some, was it political affiliation with the National Coalition, since the event's brochures included a call for coloring the Syrian embassies red and assigning them to the Coalition. The event also braised armed resistance putting it head to head with others who refuse violence all together and do not support the Coalition, in clear violation of the campaign's slogan of unity.
In the end the campaign presented enough justification by insisting that the weapons will disappear as soon as the need for them disappears, through a graffiti that represents the creativity of the Syrian people, depicting a weapon with a crack in the middle carrying the phrase "Broken, after the revolution!"
