Aeham Ahmad

Aeham Ahmad – born in Damascus in the year 1988 – belongs to the Palestinian minority in Syria and lived with his family until 2015 in the refugee camp Yarmouk, to where in 1948 his grandfather fled from Palestine. His musical talent was supported from early years, at the age of five his father taught him to play the piano. At the age of 23 he graduated from the conservatorium in Damascus and Homs. Due to the injury by a piece of shrapnel in his right hand a career as a classical concert pianist will likely remain closed for him.

Meanwhile, the former refugee camp has become a suburb of Damascus, but catastrophic conditions prevail there for years. Again and again the settlement was caught between the fronts of different sides and is now in many parts destroyed. Yarmuk is still besieged and no organization comes in to distribute food. The camp has disappeared from the public consciousness.

Risking his life the pianist played his piano in the streets of Yarmouk to transmit a little hope and joy through playing music to the people. In spring 2015, due to the imposed ban of music the Islamists burned his instrument in front of his eyes. Since this incident, his life was under serious threat and he fled to Germany.

All photos copyright by Ingo Winkelströter