Ryyan Alshebl
Ryyan Alshebl [Syria/Germany] is mayor of the municipality of Ostelsheim. In 2015 he fled Syria for Germany, an experience he recounts together with Sabine Wünsch in «Flucht nach vorn» (2026). Last Update: 2026
Herkunft: Syria
Ali Alzaeem
born in 1999 in Idlib, Syria, Ali Alzaeem came to Germany with his family in the summer of 2015 as a teenager, initially settling in Nuremberg. In 2019, he completed his advanced technical diploma in business at the Elinor Ostrom School in Berlin and went on to study logistics. He
Dima Albitar Kalaji
Dima Albitar Kalaji, born in 1982 in Damascus, Syria, and living in exile in Berlin since 2013, has navigated a significant literary and journalistic path, underpinned by her education in Arts and Media at Damascus University. Her work highlights the intersection of art, politics, and culture, predominantly through the lens
Sam Zamrik
Sam Zamrik Zamrik is a poet, musician, translator and political educator who was born 1996 and raised in Damascus, Syria. They deep interest in literature and politics led him to undertake formal education in English Literature at Damascus University. Subsequently, they moved to Berlin to complete a Bachelor’s in Humanities,
Abdalrahman Alqalaq
Born in 1997 in Yarmouk, near Damascus, he is a Syrian-Palestinian writer, poet, and performer. In 2022, his poetry debut “Twenty-Four” was published in Arabic by Elles Publishing House in Cairo. In 2024, his first book of poems and short prose in German, titled “Rites of Passage,” was released by
Yassin al-Haj Saleh
Yassin al-Haj Saleh born in 1961 in Raqqa, is a Syrian writer. At 18, he was arrested for being a member of the Communist Party and spent the next 16 years as a political prisoner. Since his release, he has been committed to democratic reform and against the acceptance of
Widad Nabi
born in 1985 in Kobanî, Syria, is a Kurdish-Syrian author. She studied economics in Syria and writes for numerous Arabic, English, and French-language newspapers and magazines. In Germany her texts have appeared in the »Berliner Zeitung«, »SPON«, and »Kursbuch« as well as in anthologies. In 2018 she received the first
Tania Al Kayyali
born in 1985. Since 2013, she has worked as a graphic designer, illustrator and translator in Serbia, Syria and the UAE for »Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Europe«. As a visual artist her focus is on illustration, having recently drawn a number of children’s books in addition to exhibiting her
Salam Al Hassan
born in 1975 in Damascus, is an art director, animation artist and photographer. Salam al Hassan is also an illustrator and comics artist, whose work includes »Shabyat Elcartoon« (2013). He is also a percussionist with the band Fattouch. In 2008 he made two short films, and was invited to present
Samar Yazbek
Samar Yazbek was born in 1970 in Jableh, a small town on Syria’s Mediterranean shore. She studied Arabic literature in Lattakia and today worked as an editor for www.nesasy.org. This website is dedicated to human rights, especially the rights and freedoms of women. She also edited and presented a cultural
Rasha Habbal
born in 1982 in Hama, Syria, is primarily known for her poetry. Her poetry collection »Wenig von dir…viel vom Salz« (tr. »Not much from you…A lot from salt«) was published in Arabic in 2014. In 2017, one of her texts was published in German in the volume »Ohne Worte –
Ramadan Ali
Ramadan Ali is an actor who has lived in Germany since 2011. He worked as an actor and comedian in Syria but was repeatedly arrested and tortured before he fled the country. These experiences in his homeland have made him a political person. As a result, when he acts here