We are not going to remember 2014 for the military operation that ravaged Gaza, for the civil war in Syria, or the rise of radicalism in Iraq. We are going to remember it for the thousands of initiatives that honor life, resilience, and humanity above all. BarakaBits has selected 10 happy photos that redefined 2014. Because happiness, too, can be a form of resistance.
1) The little girl from Gaza who rescued her books among the rubble.
2) The Algerian national soccer team, who donated their World Cup prize to Gaza.
3) The Palestinian artist who turned photos of bombs into symbols of strength.
4) The #LetAymanReport social media campaign that brought journalist Ayman Mohyeldin back to humanize the conflict in Gaza.
5) This Syrian artist, who created the world’s largest mural made of recycled materials in Damascus, a city sunk by civil war.
6) The Rubble Bucket challenge, a viral campaign that extended to Arab celebrities to shed light on the atrocities suffered by Palestinians in Gaza.
7) This moment, when synagogues and churches in Cairo hosted various Ramadan iftar in a symbol of unity and brotherhood that defies the current narrative on Middle Eastern conflicts.
8) When the Yarmouk troupe in southern Damascus set up a piano to resist the intense hunger, cold, and destruction suffered in the besieged camp.
9) This artist, who set up symbolic open-air clay sculptures in Gaza’s beaches to silently pay homage to the victims of the Israeli operation Protective Edge,
10) This brave Spiderman, who appeared in December in Cairo to honor the hardships Egyptians endure on a daily basis.
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