Syrian TV Previewed Fall of Assad and Offers a Look at What Might Follow
December 19, 2024
- Author
- Jay Pfeifer
During the hectic downfall of the Syrian Baath party regime and the flight of dictator Bashar al-Assad, Arab Studies Chair and Professor Rebecca Joubin, received jubilant texts and messages from her Syrian friends saying they could not wait to return to Syria.
As Syrians waved flags in the streets, nothing was more poignant than the images of prisoners freed from the infamous, sprawling Saidnaya prison.
After decades under the al-Assad family, Syrians allowed themselves to feel hope; but uncertainty and panic quickly started to creep in.
Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels who overthrew al-Assad, has shown promising signs of moderation but Syrian citizens have not forgotten that his political journey started in the terrorist organization al-Qaeda.
Syria meanwhile faces pressure from a host of external parties. Kurdish and Northern factions continue to clash while Israel repeatedly bombs military sites and moves farther into the Golan Heights.
“Syrians are not mere passive pawns amidst global interests,” Joubin said. “Syrians are contending with their own struggles and fragmentation, while surrounded by larger geo-political interests, and they know the stakes are high to avoid another dictatorship.”
Joubin, who examines Syrian art and media, points to Syrian television dramas that frequently criticized the oppressive and corrupt leadership even though they were under indirect regime control.
“They were not duped by the regime’s grand narratives of secular nationalism, of being the sole protector against religious fundamentalism and imperialism, and their pro-Palestinian statements,” she said. “Drama creators relied on innuendo and allegory to subvert official narratives. They may have pretended as if they didn't know the regime was trying to co-opt them, but they engaged in immense critique, showing the hollow nature of Assad’s rule.”
Even more important, those TV dramas offer a look at what might happen in these fragile days and weeks after a dictator’s downfall if all sides do not work with each other.
“Some storylines very much reflect and predict what is happening now,” Joubin said. “The mixture of hope and uncertainty, numerous and contradictory visions of the future, the call for unity and the call to not be manipulated by outside global interests who want to take advantage of the discord from within.
“Despite all the conflicting visions of the future of Syria – and the mixture of joy and uncertainty – one thing is certain. Whoever seeks to rule Syria now is not dealing with a fearful population,” Joubin said. “Syrians will not bow down to dictatorship and they will not be submissive to oppression coming from within and outside. Despite the fear, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, will also remain etched in history as a moment when the masses from all sides came together in the squares of Syria to celebrate and rejoice.”
Below, Joubin recommends a handful of shows available on YouTube that illuminate life under the Assad regime and offer a vision of life afterward.
Nihayat Rajul Shuja’ (End of a Brave Man), 1994, written by Najdat Isma’il Anzour
“The series is set in the early 1940s, when Syrian nationalists fought the French mandate soldiers. The French forces served as an allegory for the Baath party regime. Yet, in the series, when Syria is freed from the yoke of the colonial mandate, the hero faces a series of political injustices and is suppressed by dictatorship.
“The writer shows a sort of musical chairs in political power when one dictatorship leads to another when the human soul is crushed. Syrians know that when one leader is toppled, if the human soul is still in bondage, another dictator will easily arise.”
Khan al-Harir (The Silk Market), 1996, 1998, written by Nihad Sirees and directed by Haitham Haqqi
“This two-part series recounts the story of Syrian and Egyptian unity between 1958-61. Egyptian president Nasser, who became a dictator over Syria in that time, served as an allegorical representation of Hafiz al-Assad, the father of Bashar al-Assad.
“Part two ends with the dissolution of the United Arabic Republic between Syria and Egypt with the populace split between those supporting Nasser and those against unity. The two separate groups clash intensely, manifesting how dictatorships capitalize on tensions and fomented division – and shows how the Syrian people must work together to ensure the next government represents all Syrians.”
La’nat al-Tin (Curse of the Clay), 2010, written by award-winning poet Samer Fahd Radwan
“A young man, Amer, wants to become an engineer, but is manipulated by a high-ranking security officer into entering the Syrian security apparatus. When he realizes his boss’s corruption and criminal nature, he tries to escape but is imprisoned and released 17 years later.
“The scenes of his release are profoundly moving and recall the videos we are seeing today of people being freed from Saidnaya prison.”
Al-Jundi al-Majhul (The Unknown Soldier), 2006, written by Adnan Zira’i
“One of the most heinous lies of the regime during the uprising was that it justified its violence with the claim that it was fighting terrorists. This sketch from 2006 was almost telepathic in the way it shows that the regime is willing to pulverize its own country as it protects its own power.
“Here we have a couple sitting peacefully in their own home when the Syrian army and security apparatus invades their home, claiming they are defending them from terrorists. We never see these terrorists. All we see is the destruction the regime has caused.
“The writer was arrested during the early days of the revolution though he was not involved in the protests. The government still saw him responsible for the uprising. He disappeared in jail for many years and later it was confirmed by others that they had seen his dead body in prison.”
Anti wa la Ahad (You and No one Else), 2012
“This is a stunning and direct critique of Bashar al-Assad. It tells the story of a dictator enamored by his seat of power – literally. He is in love with his chair. We see him sleeping, handcuffed to the chair, signing papers in his office as he’s being pushed in his chair. It was a clear depiction of a leader holding onto his seat of power and fearful of anyone who wants to take his power.
“This so annoyed the regime that they blurred the end of it so the ending is not visible on YouTube.”
