Naama Al Alwani never let anyone dictate her behavior. A character which has already cost him his freedom, then his country, Syria. But the thirty-year-old, who had to fight hard to establish herself as a female journalist before going into exile, has no intention of changing her way of doing things.
“I have skills, I know how to use the camera, software, question people. But I can't integrate in France, just because of my veil. I thought about removing it but it didn't suit who I am. So I continue to fight. But I can see that I'm losing motivation. This makes me sad. I don’t recognize myself”confides the one who has been a refugee in France for about two years.
Looking at her round face and radiant smile, it's hard to imagine that Naama Al Alwani faced a lot of dangers. However, when the first demonstrations started in her hometown of Homs in 2011, the young girl, who was only 19 at the time, did not hesitate.
In 2011, she joined the demonstrators in Homs
For months now, she has been following the Arab revolutions, hoping that the wave will reach Syria. And in her family, we never liked the regime of the Assad family, who has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1971. She then put aside the journalism studies she was supposed to start to join the demonstrators.
There, she makes films every day which she posts on social networks. She is also very skilled with technique and always manages to find a way to connect when others are struggling. “I’m a real geek”she jokes.
Despite the excitement, everyday life is hard. “It was very complicated for a woman, not only because of the regime but also because of society. It was particularly difficult with male activists, who told me that it was too dangerous for a woman to document the mobilizations”she says.
To counter the hostility, she finds subterfuges. Sometimes she takes her brother. On the networks, she takes a male name. And it works. Quickly, her films were widely shared, she acquired notoriety among opponents and even beyond.
Denounced and sent to the regime's jails
As the country descends into civil war, his family moves to escape the bombings. First in Daraya, in the suburbs of Damascus, at the end of 2012, where Naama continued to film the demonstrations. She also begins doing interviews with army deserters. Then it was the installation in Tartous, on the Mediterranean. She then thought about resuming her journalism studies. But in this city, very favorable to Assad, the young woman is denounced and sent to the regime's jails.
For eight months, the journalist was carried from prison to prison. “My family didn’t know where I was or if I was alive”she remembers. How she escaped the torture, she has no idea. “I was lucky. I saw lots of women, some elderly, being beaten. »
She discovers hunger and unsanitary living conditions. From this experience, she drew a unique journalistic adventure. “There, I met extraordinary, very courageous women. I collected their stories. When I left prison, I managed to remember them and told them in several media, including Al Jazeera. This really confirmed my desire to do this job”she analyzes today.
In Lebanon, insults and threats from Hezbollah
In 2014, after the election of Bashar Al Assad, Naama Al Alwani was released. Faced with the disappearances of activists that she heard about, she chose to flee to Lebanon, where her mother was from. She manages to enroll at university and resumes her work again, this time with her face uncovered.
“Lebanon is more open for women journalists. I worked a lot, made documentaries on women refugees or in prison, on activists. » But, there too, she doesn't just make friends. She received insults and then threats from Hezbollah. “In 2020, I ended up applying for asylum at the French embassy with the help of Reporters Without Borders,” she indicates.
He will have to wait two years before receiving a positive response. In the meantime, faced with increasingly specific threats, she fled to Türkiye. In France, after a year spent at the Maison des journalists, she now lives in a studio in Paris and is preparing to get married. But the difficulties in finding a job matching his skills weigh on him. “ I'm tired of moving, she said a little tiredly. I would have hoped to finally be able to settle down. »
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