The Walls of War

I can't allow myself to get carried away with the glorification of suppression, war and suffering in the name of art. These are all too real and harrowing experiences in the world today. What do the walls of war look like for an adolescent in the 21st century? Almost 100 years on from Tapies' experience of the Spanish Civil War, refugees escaping the atrocities in Syria today are faced with a rather more flimsy affair, as described this week by NOW  reporter, Alex Rowell, on his visit to an 'informal tented settlement' in Nahiriyeh, Lebanon:

'Invited inside the home of Umm Ahmad, a warm-spirited grandmother from Qusayr, NOW saw few means by which the family of eight would be able to escape the rain and snow. The roof comprised cardboard box panels supported by wooden beams. The walls were carpets held in place with nails. The floor was a mat thrown over an uneven, cracked layer of concrete; '

Read the full report with photos of Umm Ahmad's makeshift home here:

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/reportsfeatures/518464-before-the-floods

With the imminent prospect of winter flooding, this is yet another humanitarian disaster waiting to happen. As I turn up my central heating controls to stay cosy against the falling Scottish temperatures, I can only wonder how effective the proposed 'sealing kits' that are going to be distributed to Umm Ahmad and her family in Nahiriyeh will be against the snow and rain.