Artists After the Escape: Yarmouk, Aeham Ahmad's home
In bombed-out Damascus, Aeham Ahmad was able to offer hope through his music. He now performs to audiences to remind them that his home, the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, still remains under fire.
'Pianist in the rubble'
In the middle of the war in Syria, Aeham Ahmad rolled his piano out onto the street and played: to oppose hate, violence and hunger. YouTube videos of his performances made him world famous. He played in bombed-out Yarmouk, the district in Damascus where Palestinian refugees live. Yarmouk was torn apart at the end of 2012 during battles between rebels, government troops and Palestinian groups.
Forced starvation in Yarmouk
The city district took center stage in the Syrian civil war and in 2013, the Syrian army sealed off the quarter. Syrian President Bashar Assad's intention was to starve the population until it would break away from the rebels and flee. The strategy worked for the most part.
Trapped
Of the some 150,000 people who formerly lived in Yarmouk, around 18,000 Palestinian refugees remained in the district when the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS) stormed the camp in April 2015. Hunger, a lack of provisions, artillery fire, barrel bombs and executions turned things into a living hell for those still living there.
Cut off from the rest of the world
By this point, the population had been cut off from the rest of the world for about two years. "People were eating dogs and cats and grass," Ahmad said. "I also ate grass, but no dogs!" But despite the desperation, he managed to pull himself together to offer some comfort to people through his music.
An ambassador for Syria
Following his escape to Germany via the Mediterranean Sea, Ahmad became a musical ambassador for Syria. During his concerts, he reminded people of what was happening in his home country, touching their hearts through the intensity of his music. He soon was playing with famous German artists on stage, such as with the band Sportfreunde Stiller.
A prize for human rights
In 2015 Aeham Ahmad was awarded the first "International Beethoven Prize for Human Rights, Peace, Freedom, Combating Poverty and Inclusion." The prize was inspired by composer Ludwig van Beethoven's notion of "loving freedom above all else" and doing good where one can.
Music against the attacks in Cologne
In January 2016, Ahmad played on the square next to Cologne's Central Station during the demonstration "Syrian refugees say no to the Cologne assaults!" in reaction to the infamous New Year's Eve 2015 mass sexual assaults, during which hundreds of women became the primary targets of groping, rape and theft.
Music from Germany and Syria
Aeham Ahmad found a musical soulmate in pianist Edgar Knecht. "Edgar plays my music in the same way I feel it," Ahmad said. After numerous joint concerts, Ahmad and the Edgar Knecht Trio released their first album together, "Keys to Friendship," in October 2017.
Autobiography 'And the Birds Will Sing'
Ahmad's autobiography was also published in 2017. In it, he writes about his childhood in Yarmouk when it was still peaceful; he also about tells of the war and his escape. The title of the book refers to the fact that there are hardly any more birds in Yarmouk. Since food is scarce, they're often eaten or driven away by grenades. But peace will come, Ahmad hopes — and the birds will sing again.