A new life in Revelstoke for Syrian artist Sam Aiden

Sam Aiden left many things behind when he left Syria, but it’s his art he misses most. Photographs on his phone are the only reminders of the art he created.

“It makes me sad,” Aiden said, recalling his lost art.

Aiden was part of two group art showings in Syria. He said people saw his paintings and thought they were lovely. Then they found out Aiden was gay and no longer liked his art.

“It broke my heart,” he said. “The last year in Syria I stopped doing art completely.”

Aiden’s escape from Syria had much to do with the ongoing civil conflict but also had to do with his being openly gay. Aiden grew up in a large family in the south of Syria.

“They had a problem with me because I was gay,” he said.

Aiden said his extended family attempted to kill him because he is gay. It’s part of the reason he has chosen to change his name. He fears someone finding out where he is if his old name appears on social media. In Syria anyone appearing to be a part of the LGBTQ community can be put imprisoned for three years.

“I was lucky to escape,” he said.

To top that off, the civil war in Syria meant living in an area where army checkpoints were set up on nearly every road. Aiden said the Syrian army could search everything, including your phone.

Aiden’s mom helped him to leave Syria and get as far as Iran. From there Aiden made his way to Lebanon with the help of an Iranian individual. He registered with the United Nations Human Rights Council who helped him to survive in Lebanon.

Aiden said he did not stay in a refugee camp because it would have put him at risk of being harmed because he is gay. Instead he was provided with a room in Lebanon’s LGBTQ community.

“There is more help in the refugee camps but it would have been too dangerous,” he said. “It’s not safe for people like me in the refugee camps.”

Aiden was in Lebanon for six months before he received word that he’d been sponsored to come to Canada. In October, 2016 he finally received the letter he’d been waiting for. Reading the letter that came to him from Revelstoke for Refugees made him so excited he says he ululated. A big social media fan, Aiden quickly began to look up everything he could find about Revelstoke.

“I thought it was very amazing. It’s a tourism village,” he said.

Revelstoke is unlike anything Aiden expected

Aiden arrived in Revelstoke on Dec. 12. His long journey took him from Lebanon through Germany, Toronto, Vancouver and finally Kelowna where he was greeted by several members of Revelstoke for Refugees. Revelstoke for Refugees is the group that sponsored Aiden to be able to come to Canada. Among his greeters were Laura Stovel and David Cooke. Aiden had been connecting with both Stovel and Cooke via WhatsApp in the months prior to coming to Revelstoke.

Aiden says so far his time in Revelstoke has been amazing. He has met many people and was pleasantly surprised at how accepting everyone is of people from different backgrounds.

“I was a bit afraid but it’s very different. All of the people here are loving each other and it is a very social community,” he said. “The first days I was surprised because I had a different idea of how things would be.”

Aiden has jumped into being a part of the community, volunteering for the United Church’s weekly free lunch program ‘Soup and a Smile.’ He is also planning to sell hand-made bracelets at the Winter Farmer’s Market and is looking forward to connecting with the art community. He’s hoping to be able to show his art here.

“My art is a big dream with me,” said Aiden. He is already planning projects, saying he is looking forward to summer here: “I have some ideas to do art in the mountains.”

He also wants to learn to make Kombucha. “I love it!”

Aiden said the biggest change for him is that here people are willing to give him a chance before forming an opinion of him.

“I love this life,” he said.