Alessio Romenzi

Lebanon, Jbeil district: Ali Rihawi, 31 is originally from Harasta a city in the northestern suburb of Damascus (Rif Dimasq). He use to work in the real estate market, selling and buying apartments, building, lands. He use to own house, car, office, lands. “The only thing I have now in Syria is our lands, though its value is dramatically decreased because of the war” said Ali. “My grandfather was the prime citizen of Haraska and lot of people use to work in the fields owned to our family. We lost almost everything”. Forced to flee Syria seven months ago he is now settled in a Hotel who belong to the Hilton company not far from Jbeil (Byblos) about 35 kilometers north of Beirut. Since the outbreak of the war in Syria and the huge flux of refugees in Lebanon, the Hotel is giving hospitality to several families. Both Ali father and mother are still in Syria, one of his brother is settled in Turkey and both of them are sending money to help their parents. He is working now as security guard, doorman and handyman at the Hotel. “When the Revolution began, I wanted to do something good for it. I didn’t want to take up arms so I organized a place where young and old person could meet, talk and discuss on what was going on in our country. I wanted to build something useful for the new society we hoped for. That was at the very beginning of the Revolution” said Ali. “After a short time armed persons came to me, they seriously threatened me and they forced me to close it. Before this war nobody in Syria was interested in confessionalism but now Syria is a totally fragmented territory where clans and militias protect only their own interests and through the escalation of the war everybody became money oriented. I didn’t want to be paid from the Army nor from the various militias of the rebels so I decided to leave. I think that a united country that can be named Syria doesn’t exist anymore”, stated Ali. “The most important object to me is this bracelet.