Yes, There is Still Good in this World

When you hear the words "Syrian Refugee Crisis", chances are you think oppression, devastation, and terror. It's absolutely heartbreaking to think about the vast number of Syrians who are currently displaced and homeless after fleeing their home country, and there is a lot of political controversy about the best ways to resolve the issue as Americans.

While there hasn't been any positive solution that helps these people, there is a man who is using his personal gift to help in a small way. Syrian artist Mohamed Hafez, in collaboration with former Iraqi refugee and student Ahmed Bahr, started a project called "UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage". This project's purpose is to "humanize refugees" and inspire a changed world perspective regarding refugees.

Mohamed uses old suitcases as a medium to re-create the homes refugees fled from-- real scenes from Syria and surrounding countries. There is also an audio component: viewers can put on a pair of headphones to hear the refugee's story about their home and experience resettling in the United States.

Mohamed, an immigrant himself, came to the United States 14 years ago to attend Iowa State University, and was fortunate to have left his home country before conflict struck. He says about the project, "In a divided society, if you speak politics, you are immediately dividing your audience. We came together, Ahmed and I, and we wanted to do something that engages anybody from the far left to the far right in this great nation".

He believes that people's stories are art, and he wanted to be able to display their stories in an impactful way that ultimately brings people together.