in the Syrian hell, the pediatrician Amani Ballour embodies humanity

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC – THURSDAY, MARCH 26 AT 10:45 PM – DOCUMENTARY

The calm before the bombs, then the rocket fire, the explosions. Since the Syrian regime and its Russian allies first used chemical weapons in 2013, 400,000 people have been trapped in Eastern Ghouta, the Arabic name for the fertile land surrounding the Syrian capital, Damascus. The battle for Eastern Ghouta began in the summer of 2012, after the rebellion that started in the spring of 2011 in the "euphoria" of the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions turned into confrontation and then blockade, from April 2013.

It’s in the bowels of this "Hell on earth", as the UN will later call it, in the underground hospital known as The Cave, where the documentary by Feras Fayyad trains the viewer. There he discovers a handful of caregivers and doctors who, despite the lack of food, medicine, equipment, welcome the wounded, save lives. At their head, pediatrician Amani Ballour.

"Doctor Amani, stay with us", implores a child framed in close-up. In a quilted coat, the face, impassive almost throughout the film, protruding from a warm veil, the young pediatrician takes notes, cleans wounds, bandages.

Eyes lowered, she fights doubly. First to save these children, these adults, a baby, their mouths in blood. "Does God really observe? ", she whispers. She then fights to exist as a woman, which is not evident in Syria. A scene quickly attests to this: to a man who is looking for medicines for his wife, Amani Ballour explains that the Ghouta being under siege, there is none. "Find me a more competent male director, he says. (…) A woman must stay at home (…). She should not be director. " Experienced surgeon Salim Namour, nicknamed Sakhr, "the rock", comes to the rescue of his colleague, explains that she was "Elected" in this post, that the vote was even done twice, " to be sure ".

Challenging images

"From my childhood, I knew that I would have to face a fanatic society and a racist and autocratic regime", reacts the young woman in a monotone tone. In a photo, we recognize her as a little girl, blonde and curly. "You are so stubborn. I feel guilty for making you "said his father on the phone.

Throughout the images, we share the daily life of the small medical team, punctuated by short breaks, a few jokes, a smile, the carefree attitude of children who are still having fun, despite everything. Samaher, a nursing assistant, also acts as a cook and calculates as much as possible to feed 50 people with 5 kg of rice. Then the bombardments resumed, bringing their share of stretchers, wounded, blood, emergency operations, small foot patched up and crying mother – screams – her dead child.

Until August 21, 2013, the day when people "Die without being injured".

Hard, trying, but also optimistic images that you have to look at "Because no one should turn their eyes and ignore the pain of others. (…) If we care about each other and try to help each other, the world will be a great place to live. ” Pediatrician Amani Ballour has been recognized by the Council of Europe for the Raoul Wallenberg 2020 Prize.