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This beautifully illustrated poem is the work of three generations of the Thomson family. It was written many years ago by Mike Thomson’s mum, Shiela, and rediscovered recently by Mike and his son, the graphic designer Leo Thomson. Leo decided he wanted to bring his Granny’s work to life, and persuaded his dad to voice it over. Mike’s voice will be very familiar to anyone who listens to, or watches, BBC News. This gentle piece is a million miles away from Mike’s conflict journalism, and we at Cat Flap Media wanted to share it with you.
This is an audio slideshow narrated by Malik al-Rifaii and Abdul Basit Al-Ahmar, both founding members of Syria’s Secret Library in Daraya, Syria. The photos you see were taken by members of Daraya Council’s media team during the town’s dreadful four-year long siege by Syrian Government forces. Throughout this time those who built the extraordinary secret library were starved, bombed, shelled and shot at by snipers, day after day. It didn’t stop them. All is to be found in the book, Syria’s Secret Library available to purchase here
