You destroy, we rebuild – a builder’s life in war-torn Syria
BEIRUT: When builder Abu Salem repairs a shell hole in a house in rebel- held southern Syria, he knows it might not be the last job he does on the structure.
“There is a chance the buildings will be hit again,” he told Reuters. “But in the short term people should be able to take refuge in their homes.”
Abu Salem heads a group of 12 construction workers who rebuild and patch up buildings damaged by barrel bombs, air strikes and shelling in and around Syria’s Deraa city.
With no access to modern tools, and materials made expensive by the war, Abu Salem’s men break up buildings, mix concrete and carry loads by hand. Despite the difficulties, they have kept their sense of humour.
Three months ago a video circulated widely on Syrian social media showing masked men kneeling in formation, brandishing staffs and rising to shouts of “God is Great”.
“In the name of God, I am Abu Salem al-Muhameed and I announce the formation of a Concrete Pouring Brigade in the free areas!” Salem shouts into the camera in an unmistakable parody of fired-up rebel leaders fighting President Bashar al-Assad.
“If you destroy, by God we will rebuild!” he cries as his men wave pickaxes and shovels and then descend into laughter.
After the You Destroy and We Rebuild Brigade’s video appeared, people began stopping Abu Salem in the street.
“They said: you are the best brigade formed since the start of the Syrian crisis,” he told Reuters by phone.
Abu Salem lives in a rebel-held area but sources his building materials from governmentcontrolled zones.
Cement secured from Damascus may cost about 30,000 Syrian pounds a tonne at source, he said, but arrives in Deraa at a price of 50,000 to 55,000 pounds after passing through all the checkpoints.
“By the time they get to us the price has become 50, 60 or sometimes 100 per cent more than their real price,” said Abu Salem, a 39-year- old father of five who was a builder before the war.
Abu Salem is passionate about his mission to reverse the destruction, but laments he can’t do as good a job as he’d like.
There a re no engineers , modern construction techniques or cement mixers. He and his colleagues reuse rubble and steel from destroyed buildings and do everything by hand. — Reuters