In April last year, the Mousalli family – a Lebanese father, Syrian mother, and their daughters Marianne and Melina – decided to bring the stories and dreams of Syrian mothers in war-torn Aleppo closer to the world. Through a relative who remains in Syria, they collect the stories of ordinary Syrians, then turn them into sketches and have them embroidered onto cotton dolls by Syrian refugee women. “Each doll holds the name of the person whose story it carries,” Entitled ‘The Ana Collection’ – the word ‘Ana’ means ‘me’ in Arabic – the project seeks to address the hidden pain of Syrians who remain inside a country ravaged by war, through art and self-expression.
The Ana Collection is sold in Kuwait at The Reading Room at Al Shaheed Park and at Sadu House. www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2017/3/58d90a044/handmade-dolls-bring-hidden-tales-war-torn-syria-life.html
