大象传媒

Ammar Haj Ahmad reads Aeham Ahmad鈥檚 dramatic account of how he risked his life under siege in Damascus, defying the Syrian regime with his music.

It鈥檚 early 2014, seven months into President Assad鈥檚 siege of the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk. Starving and desperate in the ruins and rubble, Aeham has started a children鈥檚 choir and dragged his piano into the street. But the joy his music brings to the residents of Yarmouk is about to be shattered by a sniper鈥檚 bullet.

And news that in normal times would be a cause for celebration, adds another layer of anxiety to Aeham鈥檚 life:

"One day, Tahani had to sit down suddenly. She was feeling dizzy. She told me she couldn鈥檛 shake the feeling that she was pregnant. She went to see a midwife, who confirmed it. Tahani was overjoyed. And I was, too. But my doubts grew. We were starving. How could a baby grow on our diet of lentils, boiled clover and the odd glass of powdered milk?"

Aeham and Tahani鈥檚 first child had been born by Caesarian Section and they knew this baby would have to be delivered the same way.

"With each passing day, one particular question became ever more pressing: Where could she go for her delivery? We asked at the makeshift field hospital in al-Hajar al-Aswad. They had no antibiotics or anaesthetic. The regime hadn鈥檛 just cut off our food supply, but our medical supply as well."

The Pianist of Yarmouk is read by Ammar Haj Ahmad, who trained as an actor before fleeing the conflict in Syria. He recently starred in the critically acclaimed play The Jungle, set in the notorious Calais refugee camp, in London and New York.

Written by Aeham Ahmad
Read by Ammar Haj Ahmad
Abridged and produced by Jane Greenwood
A Loftus Media production for 大象传媒 Radio 4