Hani Al Sawah, the rap artist known as Al Darwish, recently walked the streets of Damascus, Syria’s capital, with a profound sense of excitement. It had been 13 years since he last set foot in his homeland. That same night, he would perform his unapologetically political songs on Syrian soil for the first time since the Assad dynasty fell.
The musician could barely contain his emotions. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could ever return to Syria," he told The Associated Press after a sold-out show on 16 January, followed by another the next day. The audience sang along to every lyric, making it difficult for him to hear himself. "I have this weird feeling that I never left, or that I left a part of me here that I was able to find again," Al Sawah reflected.
