"May God Bless the Hand that Works": Stories from Displaced Syrian Farmworkers during Covid-19

The publication of this graphic novel in spring 2021 marks two
grim milestones: on 15 March 2011, major anti-government protests
in the streets of Damascus heralded the beginning of the Syrian
conflict. Ten years later, 6.6 million Syrians live as refugees,
and 6.7 million people are internally displaced. On 11 March
2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of
COVID-19 a pandemic.
After one decade of displacement, most of the protagonists on
these pages still live in legal limbo in Syria’s neighbouring
countries, with little humanitarian assistance, and make ends
meet in the informal economy. Their survival work in agriculture,
often in remote rural areas, might go under the radar of host
authorities and humanitarian agencies, but it leaves traces in
the orchards, fields and greenhouses of the region. During the
pandemic, displaced Syrians, alongside other migrant and seasonal
workers, grow the food for their hosts - they might be barely
visible, but the product of their hard labour ends up in
supermarkets and on people’s plates all over the Middle East.
Despite the pandemic and ongoing conflict, Syrians are busy
rebuilding their lives. In this graphic novel, we have told
stories of struggle, but also of resilience - of Syrian families
and communities supporting one another through acute crises and
protracted displacement. Through the remainder of the pandemic
and beyond, it is Syrians themselves who will be integral to
local, community-led approaches to recovery and renewal.