14 October, 2019
We were told that the absence of a large screen was due to the Extinction Rebellion protests in Westminster Square. The reason for the absence of anything but a small handful of MPs was not given, so we could only speculate: XR as well? Brexit-induced agoraphobia? indifference to the plight of Syria and its citizens? or shame at the UK’s limited response to the crisis?
Without a large screen to focus on, we watched the film on a bank of much smaller screens, which would normally be relaying procedures in the Houses of Parliament across the road. We were gathered in Portcullis House (the Westminster building that provides office space for MPs) for a special screening of For Sama, an extraordinary film by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts that has been picking up prizes and plaudits around the world since its release earlier this year, and which has now been released in the UK.
For Sama is the film debut of Waad al-Kateab and is a record of four years in Aleppo, from the Syrian uprising to the conclusion of its brutal suppression in 2016, when Russian bombers combined with Syrian army forces to obliterate the last traces of resistance, bombing hospitals in violation of all international law, human decency and common fellow-feeling. Waad, the director as well as the key player of the film, charts her part in the events from enthusiastic supporter of the revolution, to her marriage to Hamza (the main doctor in the hospital where much of the film is shot), to the birth of their daughter Sama and their eventual escape from Aleppo, with government forces closing in on the hospital from a street away.
Waad, Hamza and Sama look at graffiti they painted on a bombed-out building, protesting against the forced exile of the civilian population of east Aleppo by forces of the Syrian regime and their Russian and Iranian allies, December 2016. © PBS Distribution: For Sama
You can see why so many MPs may have chosen to stay away from this screening. For Sama is a very difficult film to watch. On one level, it’s a fairly conventional love story, showing Waad and Hamza (married at the start of the film, he stays in Aleppo to look after the hospital while his then-wife seeks safety elsewhere) becoming friends, falling in love and tending to their new-born daughter, a child who hardly ever cries. The film is shot on Waad’s own hand-held camera and smartphone and has a freshness, a lack of artifice and an authenticity that would make it compelling even if this were the full story.
But, of course, it’s not. The love story is set against the relentless bombardment of Aleppo by Syria’s President Assad’s forces, gleefully supported by Putin’s air force and artillery. The hospital, the main stage on which this tragedy is played out, receives a daily ration of hundreds of victims, whom Hamza and his fellow medics and supporters do all they can to patch up and repair. Miracles are few and far between – though in one a baby, born dead, it appears, from his apparently dead mother, is eventually coaxed and slapped back into life, and the mother too lives. For how long, we are not told. More often, though, the blue sheet is pulled up over the face of the patient, who will then be buried in whatever halfway-dignified circumstances a city so completely under siege allows.
Waad’s camera is unflinching, capturing the distress of a mother who insists on carrying her dead child out of the hospital herself, the dusty numbness on the faces of the two brothers when they are told what they must already have guessed: that the brother they have just brought into the hospital, the last surviving member of their family of ten, is himself dead.
There are moments of relief: the extraordinarily loving family who shares living quarters with Waad’s family in the hospital, the Waad–Hamza–Sama relationship itself, and the unquestioning readiness of people to sacrifice their lives in the service of other people and the belief in and love of their country.
Hamza (with glasses), Sama and the staff of al-Quds hospital, which Hamza set up in 2012 in east Aleppo. © PBS Distribution: For Sama
The focus is on one woman’s camera, documenting her experiences in one hospital in one city in a country ripped apart by conflict. But watching it in Portcullis House you feel, as the main actors in the film must have felt, the painful absence of any countervailing presence, any response – at international or national level – to the despicable violence brought down on these players by a government bent on its own preservation.
So . . . easy to see why so many MPs may have chosen to keep away from the film. But we would urge you to see the film if you can. It is on general release now (details available from the film’s website) and the Migration Museum hopes to be screening it over the coming months.
Above all, it is impossible to watch this film without hearing in your mind the comments made in newspapers, on the radio and elsewhere in this country about immigrants coming to this country purely for their own economic advantage. This film scotches the lie about economic migrants. Until the last moment, when Waad’s camera shows the utter devastation of the once so beautiful Aleppo, none of the people who appear in the film had any thought about leaving the city and the country they love. Anyone who believes that most migration is undertaken for selfish economic advancement should see this film.
Sama pictured in September 2016, in the bombarded east of the city, with a placard in response to US presidential candidate Gary Johnson’s infamous gaffe: “What’s Aleppo?” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOT_BoGpCn4) © PBS Distribution: For Sama
With the increasing popularity of online genealogy tools and DNA testing kits, and the long-running success of programmes such as Who do you think you are?, there is a growing desire to find out where we come from and to uncover the stories of the ancestors that brought us here. But many of us don’t know where to start – or have become stuck in our research and don’t know where to turn next.
The Migration Museum’s Family History Day, taking place in central London on Saturday 2 November 2019, offers an accessible way for audiences of all ages and backgrounds to unlock and explore their family’s story.
11 September, 2019
Want to know more about your family’s history but don’t know where to look?
The Migration Museum’s Family History Day offers an accessible way for audiences of all ages and backgrounds to unlock and explore their family story – whether you’re brand new to family history, or have become stuck with your research and don’t know where to turn next.
Visitors will have the chance to find out more about genealogy and archival research, experience interactive installations on British history, hear from experts and social historians, and explore their own history at a series of stalls and workshops – leaving inspired and empowered to continue their research independently.
A selection of activities taking place include:
– Talks from a range of celebrities and experts, including Robert Rinder, TV presenter and star of a popular recent episode of Who do you think you are?; Roger Kershaw of The National Archives; and author Robert Winder.
– “Ask-the-expert” photograph dating with National Trust
– Find out about researching family histories from London Metropolitan Archives and local history groups and organisations
– An installation illuminating the history of black Britons with the Black Cultural Archives
– Find out about the colonial legacies and migration heritage of Britain’s stately homes with Dr Corinne Fowler of the National Trust – We regret to announce Dr Fowler is no longer able to join us due to unforeseen circumstances.
– Search for relatives who served during WWI and WWII with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
– Expert advice on specialist family research from the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain and more
– Interactive artworks and installations, including a 10-foot migration stories ‘flotilla’
– Food and drinks from refugee and local social enterprises
Tickets cost £5, including admission to all talks and workshops as well as an opportunity to visit the Migration Museum’s Room to Breathe exhibition.
Click here to book – opens in Eventbrite
The Migration Museum is delivering this event with a range of partners and organisations who will be sharing their expertise with visitors on the day, including National Trust, London Metropolitan Archives and The National Archives. Other participants on the day include Black Cultural Archives, Society of Genealogists, Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, British Association for Local History, East of London History Society, Surrey Heritage, Bermondsey and Rotherhithe Local History, Family Tree and more.
Talks & Workshops include:
Unlocking my family’s history with Robert Rinder
TV presenter Robert Rinder went on a life-changing experience when he took part in BBC One’s ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’. Robert’s emotional journey saw him follow the story of his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, as well as investigating the dark mystery surrounding his great-grandfather. The episode was watched by 8 million people and was the highest-rated episode of the whole series. In this talk Robert speaks on his experience tracing his family history on the BAFTA award winning show, the importance of understanding our past, and the impact the momentous journey had on him.
Using Migration Records at The National Archives with Roger Kershaw, The National Archives
Using examples of records held at the National Archives, Roger Kershaw, its Migration Records Specialist, will explain the key collections in its custody relating to both immigrants and emigrants and explain how they can be searched and interpreted. These include passenger lists, passports, registration and naturalisation records. His talk will feature some case studies.
Not a Foreign Country with Robert Winder
Far from being dead and buried, the past is always with us, pressing into the present in persistent and unexpected ways. So family histories are more than mere inquiries into private life – they are a rich part of the national heritage too. In this talk Robert Winder, author of the best-selling book Bloody Foreigners, explores the wider historical context of our nation as a backdrop to our personal family history journeys.
Tracing your 20th Century Ancestors with Else Churchill, Society of Genealogists
It feels like it should be easier to find ancestors living in the 20th century than those living in the 19th, but sometimes, it can be harder to research after 1911. Many records are still closed while others offer challenges when we try to search for our family names particularly as there will be no census for English and Welsh genealogy in 1931 or 1941. Hence in this talk Else Churchill looks at distinct features of 20th Century Life and the sources and techniques genealogists might use to supplement this gap such as divorce, the 1939 Register, local directories, electoral records, migration, social media and the internet.
Family History Workshop with the London Metropolitan Archives
An introduction to London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) and the documents, events and introductory training courses we offer which can help you in your family history research. Hosted by Maureen Roberts, Senior Engagement & Learning Officer and Claire Titley, Information Officer fo the LMA.
How to compile a family history – a practical guide with Sarah Caplin & Judith Schott
Judith Schott and Sarah Caplin in conversation on the more practical aspects of compiling a family history, from their own personal experience. The two speak candidly on the impact on the individuals who are telling their stories – and the challenges of writing up histories when the key subjects are no longer alive.
Ask-the-expert photograph dating with Catherine Troiano, The National Trust
We all have family photographs that we can’t quite place. Bring along your family photographs and discuss styles, materials and dates with the National Trust’s photography curator Catherine Troiano. Learn about how your pictures fit into photography’s wider history and find out what to look for.
“We were there” with IWM
This is a unique chance for visitors to meet veterans and eyewitnesses from the Second World War, hearing their personal stories, asking questions and connecting through conversations. Through personal stories and conversation visitors have a chance to get to know the people who lived through conflict in the London area. Hear from eyewitnesses and gain insights into their experiences, perhaps sharing your own too.
