Jihad Bakr

full interview

Hello, I will tell you about the project for which we are conducting this interview. It’s a project called 1000 Dreams affiliated with the organization Witness Change. From this interview, a segment will be quoted and presented online along with a photo that we will take of you. Do you have any issues with recording your voice?
No, I don’t mind. 
If there’s any information you don’t want to share, please let us know. If you prefer not to mention your name, we can use an alias, and if you don’t want your face to appear in the photos, we can cover it. If there’s anything private you don’t feel comfortable sharing, don’t hesitate to mention it. The most important thing in the interview is for you to feel at ease.
Anything that will serve the project, I will help with. 
Thank you. The project’s idea is that instead of a journalist conducting an interview with a refugee, the refugee conducts an interview with another refugee. We are trained to conduct these interviews with refugees to publish a thousand stories. Do you have any questions related to the project?
No, on the contrary, it’s a very beautiful project. 
I will start with questions describing your current situation. What is the living arrangement you are in?
I live on a rooftop that is part of a building, but I arranged it in a way that suits me with things that can be reused. I managed to create a small space that suits me, and I am happy with this life. 
Is your house on the rooftop?
Yes, I call my house the rooftop. I don’t say I’m going home; I say I’m going to the rooftop. 
The idea is that your house is on the rooftop?
Yes. 
Do you love your house? It’s clear that you are attached to it.
I am attached to it because I am the one who built it. It didn’t exist, and I built it. Another thing is that its space is small, 30 square meters, but it can fit me, and I arranged it in a way that I can reach everything in my way. 
Do you live there alone?
Yes.
Does the rooftop mean something special to you.
Certainly. 
How did you feel when you built the house by yourself?
A beautiful question, because in the chaos of the alienation and dispersion we experience, and in the midst of the question of whether there is something you can clearly belong to due to problems related to being a refugee, it’s beautiful to have a space, even if it’s small, 30 square meters. You created it exactly as you wanted, so you can belong to this space.
Do you mean a safe space.
This space is yours, so it’s definitely safe, and thus you can belong to it. For example, when I come home at night from work, I can greet this space.
Do you salute the rooftop?
Yes, and when I stay up late with my friends and come to the rooftop in the morning, I can say good morning to it. I also have my companion Hamad on the rooftop, a small doll I found on the street in 2018. So, he is also one of the things I belong to, and I feel safe with him amidst the state of estrangement we live in. 
Considering it’s now 2023, has Hamad been your companion for 5 years?
Yes. 
Is Hamad a doll?
Yes, a blue doll with “BIBI” written on it, but I named him Hamad. 
And you live in the house with only Hamad? We can consider him your companion.
Hamad is my companion, yes. 
I was intrigued by the idea of the rooftop or the house you live in. Can you introduce yourself in any way?
If I want to describe myself with something, it’s that I am dull.
I mean, tell us your name.
I’m Jihad Bakr, born in Afrin, and I am dull. 
What do you mean by dullness?
The circumstances we went through were not easy, and I cannot deny that, especially when we talk about the refugee experience. It’s an experience of being a refugee in a way you didn’t choose, and in a way you didn’t expect, especially in the conditions of Syria. We were supposed to go out for beautiful things. We all went out to the streets, and the people were demanding beautiful things. But to be faced with this violence, it’s obligatory for your reaction to become negative about everything. 
Why?
Because we were asking for beautiful things.
Did you feel disappointed?
Yes, we can compare it in this way. Imagine going to your father when you’re a child, asking for chocolate, and he starts hitting you. He could have simply said, “I don’t have chocolate,” but he shouldn’t have hit me. We were not children; we were mature adults, and we were subjected to frightening beatings. We were shocked when we asked for something beautiful, and we were answered in this very terrible and ugly way, inhumane. The matter didn’t end with the beatings. You became outcast from the country; you became a refugee. True, there are many countries, Turkey is not among them, that give refugees their rights exactly like any person living in the state itself, even in travel documents outside the country and everything. Nevertheless, the refugee experience is something only the refugee can feel because there’s a sense of insecurity, no matter how much you try to help them feel safe. There’s a little monster inside that feels unsafe and unattached. This is what I have been feeling since coming to Turkey in a frightening, tiring, and exhausting way. That’s why some people reach a point of despair, and some even commit suicide. For some, it’s a motivation to become better. For me, my reaction was dullness. The refugee experience won’t hinder me in life, and life is a beautiful experience. So, I love being dull. Even in Syria, my family’s financial situation was bad, and I couldn’t work in something I loved. I felt dull during that period despite my young age. My experience was built on dullness. 
Do you feel being dull is one of your strengths?
No, I consider dullness as myself. You asked me to define myself in a sentence, so I am Jihad Bakr from Afrin, and I am dull. That’s my form in life. 
Let’s continue with the questions because I am interested in the thoughts you share with me. How do you spend your time here? Do you work?
I am currently working on four things simultaneously. 
Do you feel pressured?
Yes, I was working , and when you came here, I showed you my work. Since the topic revolves around refugees, I will emphasize that the situation is really tough. Anywhere in the world, you might inherit something because you are a son of this family or from this country. You could inherit anything in life, making it a material push in life for you. But here, you have nothing because you left everything behind. 
So, are you forced to work?
Regardless of what you work on, you are entering completely new markets where you don’t understand anything at all. Even the language, I learned Turkish here, I didn’t know it before at all. You are forced to learn about the market, culture, politics, and economy if you want to open your own project or even work in anything. At least two years are wasted from your life as a refugee until you can understand your rights abroad, and the value you offer. This actually takes two years of your life if you diligently work to understand what value you should demand in your job if you don’t want to have your own business. 
One of the difficulties you faced is the language. Are there any other challenges?
Yes, there are language and culture. 
The difference in culture?
Yes, the difference in culture, the job market, and the impact of political and economic conditions in the country affect any business you want to work on. For example, in Syria, we were somewhat isolated from the political and economic impact. Prices have been relatively stable since around 2000. Here, it’s a more open market. Any economic crisis in Ukraine affects your food and drink. It’s a very different thing to understand because here you need money to live, and as a refugee, you don’t have any opportunity for income from anything. You don’t have, for example, a grandmother who passed away, and you could inherit a small piece of land from her, or your father had a piece of land that he sold. You are completely deprived of such things because you left the country without anything, neither materially nor in terms of employment. Many people, when they left the country, had their jobs insulted and destroyed. I speak from my personal experience here in Turkey; I’ve seen doctors and engineers working in sewing workshops. I don’t mean that working in sewing workshops is demeaning, but for a doctor or an engineer to work in such workshops is considered an insult.
Now, moving on to another question because I’m interested in your conversation, and I want to hear more. What are the things you enjoy?
One of the beautiful things in Istanbul, the city where I currently live, is that it is neither East nor West, neither right nor left; it is located in the middle. One enjoyable aspect of life is the city of Istanbul itself. I mean the details of it as a city, not the people in it. I live in the heart of the city in historic Istanbul. The number of diverse people passing by, you could encounter someone from Finland, England, Spain, or North Africa. 
Do you enjoy the social life there?
Yes, Istanbul is a beautiful city. 
Do you enjoy exploring Istanbul?
My experience in Istanbul is very enjoyable. 
Do you consider this experience a hobby?
I love theater, cinema, and television; that’s what I do. 
This is something we should focus on. You are an artist, and art for you is both a hobby and a profession.
I worked in art because, as I told you, I am a dull person. I didn’t have the opportunity to work in art or related fields due to my family’s situation in Syria when I was young. The coldness I have towards my family and everything, even art, was considered a stigma in some cultures in Syria. I was part of these cultures that viewed art as something stigmatizing. This dullness I had was because I love art. Art is my hobby, and I love it very much. Thank God that I can now work in this field. As a refugee, if you want to work in something you love, it’s not easy. 
Were you working in Syrian television?
I resigned. 
But you were working as a television director, right?
I was a program director for live shows and news bulletins for six years, and before that, I worked in radio. Since 2008, I’ve been involved in acting and theater. I took a break from acting for the last 5 or 6 years because I leaned more towards directing. I worked as a TV and theater director and a theater actor. I’ve been trying to learn sound editing. 
In general, your most recent major project is Yolo at the Cultural Arts Center you opened in Istanbul?
At one point, when you put effort into your work, the world helps you a little. I worked with a media foundation that had good salaries, and my project partner, Bayan, and I managed to save some money. As refugees with nothing to lose in life, we decided that the only thing we would spend our saved money on was a cultural and artistic project, a safe social space for the world. It’s called Yolo Art Center: You Only Live Once. 
After opening this center in Istanbul, how did you feel?
It was a very fulfilling feeling, especially when compared to the past. When my mother saw it, she cried because she knew that 15 years ago, it was challenging for someone like me to create a safe space for others, while it was hard for me to make a safe place for myself. It was a beautiful feeling, and I was proud of myself. At the same time I was annoyed sometimes for putting myself under significant work pressure. When Yolo became a reality, I never have free time or a day off, but all of this resulted from love. 
Can you briefly explain what this project is about?
Yolo is a cultural and artistic center and a safe social space for the world. It has three sections: Yolo Café, Yolo Theater, and Yolo Training Center. 
Are you the manager of all three sections?
I am a partner in the project with my friend Bayan. We are the sole partners, and we did not receive funding. We established the project with our own money, and the matter was not easy. The money does not cover all expenses at the end of each month. 
You faced difficulties from the time you arrived here, when did you seek refuge?
I arrived in June 2013. 
So, it has been 10 years since you sought refuge. Despite the challenges over these 10 years, you now have a cultural and artistic center, but difficulties persist. Can you tell us about the current challenges you face in your project or your current life and the old challenges you went through? You mentioned earlier the difficulties related to language and culture.
I will start with the difficulties I faced in Turkey and then move on to the challenges of the Yolu project. One of the significant challenges in Turkey is being in a country undergoing recent economic development. The country has experienced 13 or 14 years of economic revitalization efforts by its government. However, it is still unable to provide refugees with the benefits enjoyed by individuals in Europe. This led many people to lose their lives while trying to reach Europe, as they sought a more dignified life. The fault lies not with the country but with its economic situation. It is a growing nation attempting to progress, and one of the difficulties is being in a closed country that is trying to open up to the world. As a Syrian refugee in Turkey among 4 or 5 million Syrian refugees, according to statistics, one of the worst experiences is when I take a taxi, and the drivers ask me why I don’t return to my country. I explain that the Assad regime would imprison me if I return. The drivers respond by saying, “Even if they imprison you, what’s the big deal?” They had no idea about the vast difference between Turkish and Syrian prisons. In Turkish prisons, you are a human being being punished for a specific crime. However, in Syrian prisons, your humanity is stripped away, and you become a worthless entity, ultimately leading to your death. 
This thing makes you feel threatened, right?
This thing makes me feel like I’m in a place I don’t know why I exist in, like when a guest comes to your house and you don’t know why this guest came and why they are there. The situation is very strange, and because we are in difficult economic, social, and political conditions, this thing creates racism. 
Do you feel racism?
Yes, there is racism here, and in every country in the world, there are racists, but in this country, there are ignorant racists. They are not racist just for the sake of racism. The problem here in Turkey, as a Syrian refugee, is that I suffer from racism not only because the person in front of me is racist, he may not be racist but he is ignorant, and that’s why he treats me with racism. One of the biggest problems I faced as a refugee is that I am not understood in this place, and no one tells me why I am here and what I should offer and what I should take. 
Do you feel that you are not accepted?
Of course, because I’m not understood, and this is what I’m trying to say. You’re confronted with racism because of ignorance. That is, the root of this racism is lack of knowledge. If we want to talk practically, racism leads to problems in workers’ salaries and health insurance. I am one of those who worked for 3 or 4 years in a certain institution without any insurance or health coverage. From the first moment of my arrival in this country, I have been working, but I am registered with the Ministry of Labor as if I worked for only two years, although I have been working here for almost 10 years without interruption. 
These problems are added to the list of difficulties you faced in Turkey, correct?
Certainly. We worked on the Yolo project as a safe space for social, cultural, and artistic activities, consisting of three sections. Yolo Café hosts various social activities, functioning as a sapce where people from around the world gather, meet artists, intellectuals, and those interested in art and culture, seeking safe spaces. It’s also for people facing problems not recognized by the surrounding society, be they social or psychological issues. We provide a space for these individuals to participate in specific activities, express themselves, and learn from each other. As for Yolo Stage, we aim to bring together artists who lack real opportunities to become well-known. This includes budding artists, and we collaborate with them on artistic performances in a small theater. Despite its size, we strive to make this small theater a genuine experience for everyone.
I like that it’s a small stage.
The theater has a small capacity, approximately 50 to 60 people, comprising both the audience and the artists performing on stage. We provide them with the opportunity to experience real theater, especially considering that some people, over 18 years old, have never entered a theater in their lives. This is particularly true for those who left Syria at a young age and haven’t witnessed a theater performance. I’m specifically referring to traditional theater, not concert halls. As for the Yolo Training Center, it offers workshop spaces, and everything related to the theater and training center involves compensation. However, the challenges faced by the project arise from the fact that when you’re a refugee trying to establish a private project, there’s no official support or protection. In your home country, there are ministries and unions that protect you when you undertake such projects. However, as a refugee initiating a project for diverse people in this society, whether refugees, tourists, or foreign artists visiting Istanbul, there’s no one to protect you. In reality, no one is looking out for us, and as an institution, we are essentially on our own in this environment, which is difficult and frustrating. 
What is your feeling when you left your home in Syria? And what are the positive aspects that resulted from this experience?
Leaving my home in Syria initially made me feel betrayed because the reason for leaving was to experience something I wasn’t prepared for as a refugee. I only truly understood the meaning of being a refugee in 2017, so for the past four years, I’ve been living without a clear sense of where I am and what I’m going through. The sense of betrayal is profound, as everything I had learned about humanity, identity, and community bonds disappeared when my home and life were taken from me, and I was required to live a new experience that I didn’t even know how to define. Following this sense of betrayal, you feel a great tragedy and despair, especially if you aren’t financially prepared, as the refugee experience is not easy financially or even secure. Things get even worse, and I know people who went through suicide attempts because the experience was tragic and overwhelming for them. The positive aspect is that when you come to understand that you’ve become a refugee, it takes time and training to comprehend the meaning of the word “refugee.” Having people assist in this matter can expedite the understanding because when you realize that your civil status has changed from a citizen to a refugee, things become easier to grasp. You can open your eyes more to the new experience and the new country you’ve arrived in. And the beautiful thing after this process, and it is one of the positives, is that you start to live a new human experience. You now possess the experience of two different perspectives. You gain maturity and a viewpoint that no one else has because you are not a visitor, nor did you come for work in this new country. You are a refugee, and you only have this place. It’s a completely different perspective, similar to citizenship but different from it. 
Did you ever expect to end up here?
Not at all. 
Do you have an idea of how to survive or get out of this situation? Or how to navigate through this life?
I didn’t have any expectation that I would be here, but I was determined that I wanted to eat and drink through the things I love in life, and I managed to achieve that. 
Do you mean working in the arts?
Yes, and currently, I’ve reached a point where I eat and drink from my work in the arts. Of course, I understand that the refugee experience is a very difficult and challenging one. So, we have to know how we can overcome this experience and start anew. 
What gives you the energy to continue in this life?
The first thing is when there is a community around you and people helping you to develop socially, and when there are specialists in this field helping you to advance professionally. It is essential for any refugee in the world to understand that they have become a refugee. When I obtained these two things, when I had a good environment and acquired self-understanding of the meaning of refuge, I was able to improve. 
When you mentioned that understanding the meaning of refuge increases the sense of maturity and understanding more, if you haven’t gone through the refugee experience, is it possible to possess this knowledge without being a refugee?
Not at all. You can obtain a work residency in a country for 5 years, but it won’t be the same as the refugee experience in the same country for 5 years. In a work residency, even in the worst scenario, if something happens, you can return to your home country. However, a refugee cannot and becomes like a citizen in that country, but not with the same legal value as the original citizen. There is a completely different experience you can learn as a refugee.
I agree with you. How did COVID-19 impact your daily life?
It was a very bad experience, as someone with rent and other expenses, and as I mentioned earlier, there is no entity that protects you, neither as an artist nor as a refugee. No one helps you with these things. It was a terrible experience, but it was also a nice personal experience because during that time, I tried to learn new things. I learned video editing in 2020. 
Did you get to know yourself more?
To some extent, and through interesting things as well. 
Did you engage in activities?
I engaged in new activities in life, and I enjoyed them. 
It’s nice that you see the positive aspects during the COVID-19 period. I want to ask you a bit about the past. Why did you leave Syria? You explained earlier about the regime and the war in Syria.
In a simple sentence, there is no place I can stay in Syria. Syria is no longer a safe place for my life, and it’s not generally a place where I can live.
You also talked about your feelings about this. Can you sum it up in a simple sentence?
I felt very betrayed when I had to leave my country because I couldn’t do anything, and I had no chance to stay in my country. 
How was your journey to Turkey? Did you experience something difficult?
I entered Turkey twice. The first time was through smuggling, and it was a very painful experience. In those moments, you always feel threatened, even when you refuse to be threatened but you must live through that experience. Afterward, I had to return to Syria through the same smuggling route, expecting that my papers would not be processed. However, after entering Syria, my papers and passport were processed after two weeks. It was expected that my papers wouldn’t be processed, but they were processed by paying a sum of money. So, I entered Syria informally and then exited from the area controlled by the Free Syrian Army at that moment, allowing me to enter Turkey officially. 
Your experience was very difficult.
Yes, it was.
You are one of those people who have tried more than once to enter Turkey. How do you feel when you hear that there is a way to smuggle refugees?
This is a very important question, and I will answer it in a specific way. Smuggling may be seen by many in the world, organizations, and experts in politics and economics as something unethical, unhealthy, and illogical. But from the perspective of a refugee, I ask myself, what is the alternative? Do you expect a person to put their life at risk just to play and have fun? Actually, their lives are in danger. Those who venture out to sea on a plastic boat measuring one meter by half a meter, carrying 30 individuals, and may or may not make it to their destination. They might drown in the sea. What is this person fleeing from to agree to such an experience? 
As someone who has gone through this journey, has this experience affected your personality up to this moment?
After the experience of disappointment, you start thinking that you must leave the country. After this experience, nothing is easy, but at the same time, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. 
How do you cope with this feeling?
I face this feeling after understanding that this experience is not easy, but it’s not necessarily bad. I cannot confront this while being in a place under significant threat. However, when I left Syria, became a refugee, and gradually settled in my life, with the help of kind people around me who taught me about life, I reached a stage where I can say that the feeling is difficult, not easy, but it has become an experience. I now see what happened as an experience because what happened before, like smuggling and other things, was not an experience; it was something terrible. 
You spoke about the people who supported you. These people can be considered sources of strength. I would like you to tell me about the plan you had when you came here as a refugee. From your perspective, everything is destructive and difficult, so it’s natural to build a plan for yourself. What was the plan that brought you here? You continued in the artistic field and projects without support from anyone. What plan did you set for yourself? What are the things or sources of strength that supported you?
I will talk about my personal experience. In the first two years since coming here, I couldn’t do anything or plan for anything. I was like a blind person, just working in any job related to labor to survive, pay rent for the house I lived in with my family, and afford food and drinks. After two years, things improved a bit, and I started convincing myself to forget about Syria and that there was no way back. That’s when I began to think about the plan you asked me about. One of the most important things that can help is knowing what you want and having a job. I’m someone who left Syria at a young age, but I had a job because I started working early. One of the crucial things people should do when in this situation is to have a job they can rely on. 
Do you believe in this.
I would say a person should have a job, not necessarily a goal, because it’s possible for someone to live and die in a safe country without finding their purpose. However, work can be a foundation in life; it makes you feel like you’re doing something valuable for yourself. This was very important and luckily I had a job. Another thing is the community. Despite the very tough life of refugees, refugees themselves are the most likely to support each other because they empathize with each other. I was surrounded by a very kind community, mostly composed of writers and poets. Although we were all refugees going through the same difficult circumstances, these people were the sweetest part of life because they helped to the extent that you find your way. 
Can we say that one of the strengths is the community around you?
The community of refugees itself. 
So, if the first strength is the refugee community, and the second is having a job.
Yes, a career is something you can rely on. A refugee, especially in the first years of asylum, cannot live without something to rely on because they still don’t understand what happened. They should be given a job to rely on. 
There are two questions, the first one is about the past. What was your dream before the war?
I left Syria when I was young, at the age of 23. At that time, my dream was to be one of the top 5 film directors in the world. 
You had an artistic dream, and despite all the pressures and difficulties you faced in your journey, as mentioned at the beginning of the interview, your dream didn’t come to a halt, correct?
Yes, that’s correct. My current dream is to create my own film, just that, I don’t want anything more. The experience of seeking asylum taught me that it’s not essential to be among the top five directors in the world. What matters more is to produce a film that is personal to you. I’ve worked on many films in my life, but I’m talking about a film that is uniquely mine. I want to express something specific to the world in a beautiful artistic way. 
How would you feel when you have your own film?
I don’t know, but I want to emphasize something. It’s something a refugee fully understands when their dream shifts from being among the top five individuals in the world in a specific field to simply creating something they love. 
In the past, you dreamed of being among the top 5 directors in the world. What would that have made you feel? And now, your dream is to produce your own film, not caring about the world. How does that make you feel?
I went through a challenging transitional phase, and the feelings are similar. For me, in my personal experience, the feeling was the same when I was twenty years old and dreamed of being among the top 5 directors in the world. Back then, I felt a sense of power, energy, motivation, and a delightful kind of madness. Interestingly, that feeling hasn’t disappeared even though the goal itself has changed. I’ve seen another facet of the goal, and that’s why I told you that one of the most important things asylum taught me is that I now have two complete experiences, and I see a broader perspective on things. My focus before becoming a refugee was to be a competitive person, always aiming to win and be the first. However, the refugee experience and the support of the refugee community have made me no longer feel the need to be the best among them. My goal now is to do something I love and share it with others. 
In general, what are your wishes and dreams?
I now dream that there will be no war because it’s a terrible thing to be threatened with your life. 
Do you dream of peace?
Let’s say my dream is peace, but I hope that no one is threatened with their life over anything. That’s the most important thing. If you ask me about realistic and logical goals because dreams won’t happen. In a moment, I wish that the refugee community is more supported, helped more, and that others don’t view them with pity or as needy. They are individuals just like others, but they have lost their land. Our definition of them should be more logical and realistic. They no longer have a homeland. Pity for refugees might fade, and instead, it could turn into hatred. However, when you practically see refugees as people who no longer have a country or land and have no other option, it becomes a more logical and realistic situation. 
If we want to summarize the interview, what are Jihad’s strengths?
Stubbornness. He is determined, and if he wants to do something, he will work on it even if he fails, he will keep trying. 
What challenges does Jihad face?
To continue with the asylum experience i am in is the best thing I have. 
What prevents you from continuing?
What prevents me is that I am a refugee, and there is a misconception about the idea of refugees. 
Such as racism, differences, and a lack of belonging?
I don’t have anything to lose as a refugee. If you took me and threw me into any other country, I wouldn’t have anything to lose. I have a small project here, but it is threatened, so even as a refugee, my project is at risk.
Your project is that you are a refugee.
Actually, that’s true. My project represents me and my partner Bayan because we, as refugees, are represented by it. I don’t have anything to lose. 
There’s a third question I would like to ask, what are Jihad’s dreams?
My dream is not to work anything in life, to live a decent life, and to focus on one thing: making a cinema film. Every year or every two years, I produce a film, and I center my life around this film. There is nothing else I think about or care about. 
Is the goal of the film to share the experience you lived?
Any film is considered a dissemination of an experience, whether the film is set in any historical period. 
What is your goal with the film?
I don’t know. I’m not talking about a single film; I mean I want cinema to be my source of income and my job that makes me a self-sufficient person, helping those around me. 
Why specifically cinema as the source of your income?
I wish my field of work to be in theater and cinema, but technically, theater is challenging. I don’t like dealing with theater in a materialistic way. I can bet on cinema and enter the market in the field of cinema, but I can’t do the same in the field of theater. We learned this in Syria. However, why do I prefer to work in cinema? Because both cinema and theater have managed to amaze me in a terrifying way. They amaze me with how humans can showcase their lives and problems on the stage. 
Do you believe in art?
Yes, cinema has amazed me a lot. I hope in my life that this will be my film when I reach the moment of perfection for Jihad in terms of amazement. 
What is the most beautiful film you have watched?
The Godfather. 
How did you feel after watching the film?
Every three years, I rewatch the entire film.
What is the feeling you experience when watching it?
perfection from all aspects, including the visuals, cinematography, actors, and every supporting role.
What feeling do you get from the story of the film itself?
I don’t focus on the story itself; I work with art. 
So, do you appreciate the craftsmanship in the film?
If we discuss the film’s story, it’s very ordinary and can be found in any Syrian or Egyptian series. I love to work in cinema, not just watch it. the film’s production team was wonderful, because the team turned an ordinary story into something captivating. 
Would you like to share anything else you’d like to add to the interview?
If there’s something I’d like to add, it’s the positive impact of hosting another refugee as a refugee yourself. I really loved the idea for a small reason: this is what helped me in my life. Refugees standing by each other made a significant difference. There were no organizations from Finland or the Netherlands that could understand the refugee issue in the Middle East like the refugees themselves. At least we should support Middle Eastern refugees who have maturity and awareness so they can help other refugees. The project idea is very beautiful, and I appreciate it. 
Thank you very much. I hope I didn’t take up too much of your time. Despite being your friend, I’ve learned new things from you during the interview, and I agree with you; the project idea is excellent and has added a new experience for me. Thank you very much for your time, honesty, and now we will take a photo of you. Is there anything else you would like to add?
No, thank you.