Dafnino Sawa campaign


07 June 2014

“The Syrian farce did not start with the regime's electoral campaign. The farce has been taking place for many years.” These are the words of Nael Hariri, who recently launched the "Dafnino Sawa" campaign to overcome the false debate of whether the Syrian elections are acceptable or not.

The campaign, launched through facebook, youtube, twitter and instagram, aims to raise awareness about the farce the regime itself constitutes. It plays with the slogan used by the regime to legitimize Assad's rule, “Sawa” (Arabic for “together”), by adding “Dafnino” (“we will bury him”) to it. “Together, We Will Bury Him” is an attempt to reflect on the true meaning of democracy, a concept that is incompatible with the Syrian regime, whether it engages or not in a ballot box-performance. It juxtaposes the reality faced by Syrians on the ground with the regime's discourses, including the contradictions posed by the reformed Syrian constitution:

Article 140: The Supreme Constitutional Court is formed by an independent judicial body.

Article 141: The Supreme Constitutional Court is formed by no less than seven members nominated by the President of the Republic

Although the campaign was well received, with thousands of followers on their facebook page soon after it was launched, Hariri has struggled to find support and collaborators. “Most civil activists are busy trying to find a living, and they can't devote any more time and energy to voluntary efforts”, he admitted, which ended in the initiative becoming a one-man-campaing, with Hariri having to learn design programs to create the designs himself. Regarding the source of funding, "the only economic support has come from Dr. Rim Turkmani, who paid to promote the page on Facebook for a few days."

"Dafnino Sawa" is another product of the Syrian uprising that stirred up a revolution of ideas, thoughts, art and creativity. Its founder dreams of restoring the atmosphere of the early days of the uprising, when everything seemed possible and countless citizen initiatives and projects were born, such as the renowned satiric facebook page “The Chinese Revolution."

When asked if the campaign will stop after the electoral farce is over, Hariri responds: “There are so many things to bury that of course the campaign can continue. The whole regime and its structure, built for decades, need to be buried by Syrians.”

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Illustation by Dima Nechawi Graphic Design by Hesham Asaad