I don't know if you've seen this photo on social media recently:
Image credit: Mehmet Aslan
A Syrian father who had lost his right leg picked up his son, who had no limbs, and the two looked at each other and smiled.
Under the gray sky, in the ruined homeland, this innocent and strong smile is particularly dazzling.
The shock of the picture made everyone who saw it move.
The photo was taken by Turkish photographer Mehmet Aslan, which won first place at the annual Siena International Photo Awards (SIPA) in Italy.
"The father in this photo is named Munzir al-Nazzal, who lost his right leg in 2016 or 2017 when he was hit by an explosion in a market in Idleb, Syria;
In his hand was his eldest son, Mustafa, who was born without limbs.
That's because the child's mother, Zeynep, was hit by a chemical attack in Syria when she was pregnant, and she inhaled Sarin gas and then had to take medication, causing limb syndrome.
"He opened his eyes and looked at the world, without limbs," Aslan wrote on his own Twitter.
This photo was taken in April 2021.
At the time, Aslan was in Nazar, a meeting in Rehánli, Hatay province, in southern Turkey, near the Syrian border, where the family was temporarily staying in a shop.
At the time, Aslan was doing research for a report, "We hit it off and visited them several times before we started a project about their families and their daily lives. ”
Later, during a father-son play, Aslan took the picture and named it Hardship of Life.
"I want to get people's attention," said Aslan, who hopes the photo will highlight the need for prosthetics from refugee children.
Nazar has relocated his family several times to find a better doctor for his son, but all they end up with is medical expenses that the family can't afford at all, and the fact that they can't find a prosthesis for Mustafa in Turkey.
"The boy was always energetic. But father seems to have given up," Aslan said.
"I swear I've gone from one hospital to another. I didn't ask this question in a town, but nothing came of it," Nazar told the media.
Mustafa was a happy little boy despite his congenital disability.
He rolled on the carpet with a smile on his face, and then his sister picked him up and put him on the couch.
"That's how he is, but he's very, very smart," Nazar said.
Nazar and his wife have two other children, and fortunately they don't have any complications.
Since fleeing their homeland, the Nazar family has been living on donations for more than three years.
"The father can't work, the mother does what she can to take care of the family," Aslan said.
Referring to why he chose this photo to compete, Aslan explains:
"There are all sorts of terrible situations in the world. Even this kind of scene (father and son playing together) shows horror.
"It shows one of the most disastrous aspects of the syrian war. This is one of the obvious consequences of this unfinished tragedy. ”
Image source: SANA
In the future, Mustafa will need an electronic prosthesis to move around, but this is almost impossible for this family.
"Unfortunately, electronic prosthetics do not exist in Turkey. It's hard to buy here, only available in Europe, and very expensive," Aslan regrets.
So he chose the photo to compete, hoping to "get more support for Mustafa and, most importantly, to have his voice heard." ”
And now, thanks to this photography award, people all over the world are paying attention to this refugee family.
"The picture has spread all over the world," the boy's mother said.
"For years, we've been trying to get anyone who wants to listen to us to hear us to help Mustafa get treatment. We are willing to give everything to make him have a better life. ”
This photo also touched countless netizens, who burst into tears in the comment area:
"A wonderful photo. I've been staring at the photos for 10 minutes. Fathers and children laugh so sincerely that they are happier and more hopeful than most of us. I sincerely congratulate you. ”
"I'm ashamed... I'm ashamed to make a big deal out of my troubles, and I'm ashamed to have what I have. I'm ashamed to complain about work or traffic. I am ashamed to live so passively in this chaotic world. ”
"I congratulate you. When I see the photos, I feel a lot of pain. Be proud of you and shame people for making the world like this. ”
"Even a child who has not yet been born has been ruined, how can it be so miserable, these despicable people, my heart is going to be broken, you have captured the painful situation there very well, congratulations"
"Thank you. But I wish this picture didn't exist. Sometimes people say why there is such a world, and I wish the boy could run and play with his father. What a cruel world, especially in Muslim areas. Thanks again.."
But fortunately, now it seems that the family's life, especially the little boy's prosthetic limbs, should have fallen.
Finally, I still hope that the world will be peaceful, that every child can grow up healthy and happy, and that there will be no more such human tragedies.
-END-
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/10/23/syria-photo-father-son-sipa-award/
https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/entry/photo-guerre-syrie-mehmet-aslan-primee-sienne_fr_6176a2a4e4b03072d6f9920f
https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/arts-expos/photographie/syrie-derriere-la-photo-bouleversante-de-mustafa-le-jeune-garcon-sans-bras-ni-jambe-une-scene-de-complicite-illustrant-l-horreur-de-la-guerre_4820017.html
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