Roua Jafar

Syria

When we began the workshops for the Temple of Peace in Amsterdam, connection did not happen automatically. The artists and refugee women came from different worlds, spoke different languages, and carried very different experiences. For some of the women, peace felt like a distant, almost impossible idea.

As workshop leader, my role was to help bridge those differences through art and honest conversation. We paired each artist with a refugee woman and invited them to create together.

Slowly, trust began to grow. The women brought an incredible resilience and ability to adapt, while the artists helped translate their experiences into colour, fabric, and form. Together, they created flags filled with personal stories and new meanings.

That process showed me that peace does not begin with everyone thinking alike. It begins when people make the effort to meet, listen, and create something together.