Despite War, Blue Birds Fly in Sky

By: Hadeel Arja

The war has taken from us everything ever since I was 10 years old. At the beginning, we thought it would end within weeks or even months, but it persisted much longer! Siege was conducted on our city accompanied with fear, hunger and all that could grieve the heart of a child like me. Despite that, my childhood kept resisting, but could it continue that way?! My book is a cry and call from us, the Syrian children, to the whole world - a world that in its darkness and injustice, we can reach light and hope.” 

With these words, Enji George, a Syrian girl, has expressed the pain that she has had in her heart for 10 years and still not healed from it until today. She decided to share part of her pain through the pages of a book entitled Blue Birds, in which she narrates details and feelings that she and Syrian children have experienced through the war that has not ended yet! 

Tiny Hand held an interview with Enji to accompany her in a journey inside the pages of this book. It coincides with the 10th anniversary of the war in her country

All birds have departed the sky over Enji's town because there is no space for them among the missiles and the deceased souls that crowd together up there. All this drove Enji to feel sad and uncomfortable, so she found in writing a chance to hold on to hope. She used to meet children at her age during the siege with who she exchanged talks about pain. 

Such details can be revealed to anyone who reads Blue Birds. Every child whom Enji has met or even has never met was her source of inspiration to write the book. 

Enji remarked, "We’re not just numbers, so I want the world to hear our voices. I don’t want our suffering to turn into mere numbers that the world hears of in the news."

At the same time, she attempted through her book to pass a message of hope to every person who suffered or is still suffering from wars, catastrophes or even from what has been caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Enji added, "I want to inspire everyone to stand on their feet once again and keep moving forward."

But Why Did Enji Choose this Title, Blue Birds, in Particular? 

In her speech, Enji clarified that “before the outbreak of war, birds used to represent the fairy tales in children’s imagination. Blue birds and blue sky. However, after the war, blue birds started to reflect a different and more profound concept. That is, they became a representative of our inner power that help us break the chains of the pain surrounding us to reach inner freedom and help our souls fly freely as do the birds in the sky."

The book is based on children’s true stories depicted in the story of a single child. This character is unnamed in the book because he acts as a representative of all children. 

The book is available in Arabic and it was published by Jabal Amman Publishers. Find it here:  

https://shop.japublishers.com/Blue-Birds

The following paragraph is an excerpt from Enji's book:

“Nature’s colors have changed;

The sky in smoke and blackness has stained;

The soil has taken blood as a cover to shield from their feet’s coldness. 

Every scream seemed to reach my heart

Extract it from its place, shake it

And inform it that it was the next victim. 

Persistent cries from children were cursing power pillars,

Souls were flying like the smoke of the fire of a rubbish bin,

And the ash of the bodies was spreading,

And in their submissive silence before weapons, a prayer cry.

Their daggers bang churches’ bells

And resonate in mosques’ calls:

Oh God! Do You hear us?”