I attended the Documentary Showing of “The White Helmets” with Sam S. on Monday, November 5th that fulfills Academic requirement. The event was impactful, by informing more about the turmoil that is currently occurring in Syria. ISIS is located on the ground and the Russian planes are above creating violence, from small multiple bombings that create more damage and the powerful larger bombs. The White Helmets are volunteer civilians in the Syrian Civil Defense that provide aid after bombings and violence in Syria. Formed in 2013, the organization has 2,900 civilians working in 120 centers across the country. They are actively putting their life in danger to help other people. The risk of dying is high and many of the white helmets peers friends have lost their lives yet they continue with their work. More than 130 white helmets have been killed but in the same period, they have saved over 58,000 lives. The short documentary follows men who are apart of the same unit, Khalid Farrah, Mohammed Farrah, Abu Omar, and Raed Saleh. The White Helmet volunteers have no prior rescue experience. They receive a month-long training of courses in Turkey to help them cope and learn more about the proper ways to best save people after the bombings. The training included tool usage, searching techniques, and safety procedures.They are brave and selfless people that care for all of the victims as if they are their own innocent family. The violence of the war was shown but also emotionally uplifting parts. Lives were lost but also saved, most memorably being the saving of the miracle baby, found still alive after a bombing underneath toppled walls and ceilings. Still living now and shown in later scenes as a toddler that gives the men hope and joy.
The documentary was a representation of the effects of the political policies and war on the actual people within the country. It showed the emotional and personable connections that are impacting real people within the Syrian War. War is in International issue that involves more than just one country and affects many people around it. It involves international relations and diplomacy between the directly involved parties and the countries that are indirectly partaking in the issue. Involving factors in the war in which many countries are taking sides on each side of the war. Some countries including the United States, siding with the Syrian opposition and countries like Russia siding with the current Ba’athist government. The separation of sides displays the conflict between the people within Syria and between the countries taking different sides will have disagreement.
Academically, I learned more about the Syrian war and its detriments to the people. The documentary was stimulating and enjoyable and I was able to expand more on the relationships of war. I was intrigued by the ability to follow these men into their dangerous volunteer work, video documenting actual bombings right beside them into the buildings. Instead of receiving a removed American opinion viewing a war in a middle-eastern country thats affects seem far from the United States, the documentary was able to present the emotional connections and issues in the Syrian War through the White Helmets.