A Storyteller Spreading Hope in the Za’atari Refugee Camp

This is an excerpt from?25 Million Sparks: The Untold Story of Refugee Entrepreneurs?by Andrew Leon Hanna (May 26, 2022; Cambridge University Press).

Sitting alone in the center of her trailer, on a chocolate-colored cushion resting atop the chocolate-colored carpet, Asma looks down at a children’s book. Her soft brown eyes dart across page after page in sheer concentration. It was a quick rehearsal for the performance to come. A rare moment of silence in Trailer 6.4, District 8, Za’atari.

Suddenly, without a word from Asma, the trailer around her is transformed.

Children’s laughter and stomping against the dirt outside grows louder and louder until the trailer walls shake slightly. The wooden door creaks open. Five young boys take off their shoes and dive into the open space in front of Asma, as is their weekly ritual. Her living room had become a magical escape for them.

“Ahlan wa sahlan, ya Sammy.” “Welcome, Sammy.” Asma greets each of them, her face having instantaneously switched from focus to a smile. If Yasmina’s smile is wise, and Malak’s is eager, Asma’s is soft and infectiously joyful. More and more children pour in, and last through the door are two of Asma’s favorite students: her eldest daughters, Tamara and Maya. Tamara is shorter, older, and gentler, while Maya is taller, younger, and more playfully mischievous. Returning from taekwondo practice, they are wearing matching white uniforms with yellow belts. They quickly say their hellos and head to the back room, reemerging in matching ruby dresses with big ruby bows in their hair. They take turns giving Asma a hug before sitting cross-legged with their friends.

It’s time to begin. “Yalla, ya shabaab.” “Come on, children.” With three words, as if Asma possesses a supernatural gravitational pull, the children gather to sit in a more organized circle surrounding her. She grabs ahold of her baby boy, Mohammed, and puts him firmly in her lap as she reaches over him to turn to the first page. The magic begins.

“This story is about a conversation between a boy named Samir and his mom. It is called?A Plane That Brings Love.”

Asma’s voice rises and falls as she reads the story, with the passion of a once-in-a-lifetime audition. The children concentrate, spellbound by her performance, immersed in a world far removed from the Za’atari heat. At each page, Asma smoothly rotates the book toward the kids so they can enjoy the illustrations accompanying the dialogue:

“Mom, I want to drive an army airplane when I grow up,” Samir says.

???? ????: ?? ???? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ????

Tamara suddenly stands and scurries to the kitchen. She returns with a water jug and glasses for the group. Always a gracious host. Asma continues:

“But I will be a pilot of love, not war. I will draw red hearts and spread them everywhere from my plane. I will spread happiness, love, hope, and peace. So the little boys and girls can play in peace. So the birds flying around can sing in peace.”

????? ????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ?????. ????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ??????. ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ???????. ???? ???? ??????? ???????? ?????? ????? ?? ????. ???? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?? ????

Upon reaching the final page, she holds up the book to show a cartoon illustration of a boy with brown aviator goggles parachuting down onto the Syrian hills, as his mom waits for him with open arms. His parachute is in the form of a red heart with the word “love” — ?? — labeled on it in three places.

“Yes! I will be pilot of love, not war. So my country will be more beautiful. A country of hope, happiness, love, and peace.”

??? ????! ????? ???? ????? ???? ?????. ???? ????? ???? ???? ?????. ??? ????? ???????? ????? ???????

For a second or two, the words hang in the air. Asma closes the book: “Al Nihaya.” “The End.”

In an instant, the spell is lifted. The kids graciously thank Asma and begin to gather their things and leave, playfully pushing one another on their way out. In the moments after their departure, as their laughter fades in the distance, Asma is alone again for just a few seconds.

She thinks back to when she was a girl two decades ago in the town of Dara’a, and what her education meant to her. How she would sleep in her school uniform because she was so excited for the next day. How she dreamt one day she would become a teacher, but worried she lacked the confidence. “I loved school. But in class when the teacher would ask a question and I knew the answer, I would have to wait until at least one person raised her hand first.” Now she is boldly reinventing herself as a social entrepreneur and poet, leading a storytelling initiative that is expanding throughout Za’atari. “I want every girl to complete her education. Everyone should fulfill her dream.”

In that brief moment of quiet, Asma looks up and whispers a prayer of thanks for the chance to “tashaja,” to “encourage” . . . to gently uplift children toward the dreams they might otherwise have forgotten.

***

Children’s Book: Wafa T. Qusous & Kamil Adil, A Plane that Brings Love (2017); Non-Profits Asma Partners With: We Love Reading & Save the Children Jordan