“Step by step”: a children’s book recounts the journey of Syrian refugees through the art of stonework
Margriet Ruurs was browsing Facebook when she came across what she calls “an incredible picture”.
“It was a picture of a mother carrying a baby, and behind it a dad is walking with a bunch of issues,” she told CBC host Sheryl MacKay. from north to north-west.
The image was made entirely from stones by the Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr.
“It took my breath away because it’s so beautiful.”
Rather than just clicking “Like,” Ruurs decided to show his appreciation in a different way. Now Ali Badr’s Pictures Are In His Best Selling Children’s Book Springboard: the journey of a refugee family.
“Trempiers”
Ali Badr still lives in Syria. His art aims to capture both the tragic and uplifting moments that many Syrian families endure after fleeing the ongoing violence in the country.
Ruurs believed that these images could be woven together to tell the story of the relocation of families.
“His art was so amazing, I thought it should be a children’s book – I’ve never seen art in a book made of stones.”
Ruurs spent months finding the artist. After she finally contacted him, she spent hours on Skype late at night getting to know her new friend.
New friends
Ali Badr lives south of Aleppo in the city of Latakia – an area he says is relatively safe. Ruurs says he spends much of his time wandering the beach, looking for stones to use in his art.
“When he creates his art … there is emotion … there is love … there is hate … there is hope – and it is why I was convinced it told a great story that should reach a wider audience. “
Ruurs eventually obtained permission to use some of his images to tell the story of a family that left Syria and resettled in the West.
She makes a point of never explicitly stating in her writings that the family is from Syria and says the story can be applied to anyone.
“For me it’s a very universal story – it’s the story I grew up with with my parents, [who] lived WWII in Holland … that’s the story we grew up with. “
“The story is true”
Ruurs now lives on Salt Spring Island. When a Syrian refugee family moved there last year, they made sure to share the book with them.
“The father read it and he started to cry. And it happens all the time,” she said.
“To me that means the story is true.”
With files from CBC’s North by Northwest
To listen to the full interview, click on the audio titled: “Step by step”: a children’s book tells the journey of the Syrian refugees through the art of stone
