Hope and reality after the earthquake

The situation in Syria has been dramatic for the population for many years due to the ongoing civil war. The earthquake disaster in February 2022 left an additional five million people homeless from one day to the next. Unlike many other aid organisations, the Franciscans have never left the country since the beginning of the unrest. They have maintained an unwavering presence in many places, including the city of Aleppo, even after the earthquakes. They provide constant help in a region where there no longer exists a regular daily routine nor a normal life. Fairpicture photographer Hasan Belal met with affected people on both sides for this assignment: Friars and staff of the organisation, as well as with families who have lost their homes in the earthquake and who found a place to stay in the Franciscan reception centre in Aleppo, where they are provided with the basic necessities of life.

Hasan and his assistant spent a total of three days in Aleppo. They came back with a multitude of photos and video interviews, all of which demonstrate his extraordinary talent: To express the everyday life of refugees and people seeking protection in artistic and documentary photographs. Hasan’s works convey both hope and reality and aim to express the feelings of those affected through the medium of photography. 

This, among other things, is what we at Fairpicture understand and promote by ethical storytelling: To do justice to the people, situations and realities photographed and to offer readers and viewers a differentiated understanding of the world that is laid out in front of them.