Amid the flurry of first-day-at-school pictures on
Social Media this week, one little girl stands out.
At first glance, with her maroon cardigan and matching book bag, blue shirt and pinafore, and new shiny black school shoes, she looks much like her peers.
But this is Sama, whose mother made the acclaimed ‘For Sama’ documentary – about the horror of giving birth and raising a child in war-torn Aleppo. And now the family live in the
UK, she is off to her first day at primary school in London.
Waad Al-Kateab’s daughter was the subject of her multi-award-winning documentary, which was nominated four times at the Baftas and also received an Oscar nomination in February.
The Channel 4 journalist, filmmaker and activist posted three pictures of Sama to her
Instagram account to show off her smart new uniform – and fluffy pink unicorn pen – a world away from the first-hand footage filmed by Al-Kateab in the documentary as they went through life in a city under siege. Related... I Was A Doctor In Syria’s Civil War. Now I’m On The NHS’
Coronavirus Frontline View this post on InstagramFirst day at school 😍😍 أول يوم بالمدرسة 😍😍😍 قلبي الصغير لايحتملA post shared by Waad Alkateab (@waadalkateab) on Sep 9, 2020 at 2:21pm PDTIn the post, Al-Kateab wrote, “First day at school”, with multiple heart-eye emojis, and in Arabic: “My little heart is too much.” Hundreds of people commented to congratulate the family and to send Sama good wishes.
In the hard-hitting documentary, which is available on
Netflix, Al-Kateab shows what life was like during the uprising in
Syria. The family fled Aleppo in 2016.
“Nothing has changed in Syria. It’s still happening,” she said in a recent interview with
Vogue Arabia. “There are still people in Aleppo being shelled and bombed.”She now has two daughters – Sama, four, and a younger sister, Taima, three – who even have
London accents. “They speak a mix of English and Arabic,” Al-Kateab told the magazine. “We are trying to keep the Arabic level good, but it’s difficult.”
She has started a campaign group, Action for Sama, to end the targeting of healthcare facilities in Syria. Related... I’m A So-Called ‘Activist Lawyer’ Who Assists Migrants. Here’s What I Actually Do My Daughter Made A 20-Point Plan For The Post-Lockdown School Run This Is What The Primary School Day Will Look Like From September