Abdulwahab Mulla will never forget the day when a Syrian officer trampled on his head, making him suffer the humiliation that most Syrians have endured under the Assad regime for decades. Since that day, he was determined to fight for a country where freedom prevails and human dignity is respected.

Mulla, born to a conservative sufi family from Aleppo in 1989, used to join his father at sufi meetings where he learned about the power of music and art. He started devoting his artwork to the uprising shortly after demonstrations started, in March 2011. “My friend Abdel Rahman al-Kelani called me, very excited, to tell me that people were talking to the streets in Damascus to demand freedom, so I started writing and working on an art piece to help my city, Aleppo, join the uprising.”

Since then, he continued to think of ways to encourage people in his hometown to take to the streets and to get involved in the popular uprising that was already spreading throughout the country. It was then that he started working on a series of comic sketches, “Here´s what happened”, followed by several episodes of his own video show, the very well-known satiric show Three-star revolution, as well as songs composed by him for the demonstrations. His work is well received by the people, connecting with the revolution at the grassroots level.

The Syrian uprising and his personal involvement have helped Mulla reconcile himself with his country. While growing up, he hated school, which he always considered a factory of deaf dolls taught by a puppet. “I quit the religious school I was attending in 8th grade, and I have devoted myself to graphic design since.” The year 2011 changed his life, as it did to many Syrians.”

“I thought our revolution would be a temporary event, but it has turned out to be a way of living, a constant process and learning experience, which is crucial to take care of on a daily basis. This includes highlighting and correcting wrongdoing, because our revolution was born precisely to correct wrongdoing.”   

Find out more about Abdulwahab Mulla’s work on his Youtube channel.