How Can Culture Contribute to Building Syria’s Future?

In this episode of The Syrian Blog, we host poet and writer Yasser Al-Atrash in a conversation that moves between personal biography, literature, history, and culture, before reaching a reading of the Syrian reality and the prospects for the future. The discussion begins with his early years in the city of Saraqib, where Al-Atrash speaks about his upbringing, the influence of his family on the formation of his personality, and how his relationship with the Arabic language began during his earliest years before developing into a cultural and literary project spanning decades.

During the episode, Yasser Al-Atrash recounts his journey with poetry, the most significant challenges and difficulties he faced, and how he maintained his belief in the value of imagination and creativity even under the most difficult circumstances. He pauses at decisive moments in his life, including the threats he faced and his experience of winning the Suad Al-Sabah Award in Kuwait, and what that achievement represented as Arab recognition of his literary experience.

The conversation is not limited to his personal biography, but extends into deep intellectual and cultural discussions about the relationship between language and identity, the diversity of languages and cultures, his views on literary and artistic classifications, and how he understands the role of the intellectual in shaping public awareness away from ready-made frameworks and narrow divisions.

The episode also addresses pivotal figures in Arab and Syrian cultural history. Yasser Al-Atrash speaks about Abu Al-Ala Al-Maarri and explains why he considers him the first Syrian figure to achieve global influence. He also discusses Al-Maarri’s intellectual and literary legacy and its effect on Syrian identity, before moving to Salih ibn Mirdas, Al-Mutanabbi, and the circumstances surrounding the poet’s departure from Aleppo, reviewing historical moments that continue to cast their influence over Arab culture today.

An important part of the conversation is dedicated to the Syrian reality, the importance of pluralism, the role of dialogue in building the future, and Al-Atrash’s vision for the coming period. He also discusses the great poet Badawi Al-Jabal and the value he represents in the history of Arabic poetry, ultimately affirming that Syria possesses exceptional human and cultural potential capable of creating a different future when given the opportunity.

For anyone interested in poetry, literature, history, and Syrian identity, this episode offers a rich journey combining personal biography, cultural analysis, and historical reflection in a conversation filled with ideas and perspectives worthy of contemplation.