Shedding light on Syrian culture in London
Nadia Aburdene leads Syrian heritage tours in London that offer an insight into an aspect of the capital’s culture that is often overlooked. Born in Kuwait to a Syrian mother and a Palestinian father, she moved with her family to the UK in 1982, but spent most of her school holidays visiting her grandmother in Damascus. Nadia speaks to journalist Karen Edwards about her time in Syria, her experiences of immigration in the UK and why she hopes her guided tour – developed earlier this year in collaboration with Women in Travel CIC – will inspire a kinder world.
What brought your family to London?
I was five when we moved to London as a family. My father worked in finance and travelled to different cities. My mother, brother, sister and I would move with him when he was transferred. I was born in Kuwait, but at the age of one, we transferred to Riyadh. Then, we came to London and settled here permanently.
What are your memories of spending time in Syria?
From a young age, many of my school holidays were spent visiting my maternal grandmother in Damascus. We would go there at least once a year. I really enjoyed my time there and I felt a deep connection to Damascus, because it was where my grandmother had grown up.
My parents often reminded me about how I always asked to stay at home with my grandmother and refused to go out with the family. I was very close to her. In fact, we share the same name. By the time I was 17, I could make my own decisions and still chose to be there. I just loved spending my holidays there.
What did you love most about Syrian culture as a child?
My grandmother was a quintessential Damascene. For her, there was no better city in the world. As a child, I was able to experience the culture, food, everything about Damascus through her eyes.
Personally, I loved the sense of community over there. The feeling of neighbours knowing and visiting each other; bringing everyone together for a meal; celebration or just dropping in. London is a great city, but you don’t always feel that sense of community.
‘Not many people know there is a growing Syrian culture in London’
What has been your experience of moving to the UK?
As we moved here for my father’s work, we didn’t have the typical experience of coming to England as an immigrant family. I grew up speaking English, Arabic, French and Italian – although my knowledge of the latter is more conversational.
Immigration is very much a part of who we are as a family. My father was born in Bethlehem, the same place as Jesus. He was an immigrant from the age of 10, when his family moved to the USA. They travelled there with $10 in their pocket, and my father and his siblings had to work hard to better their lives through education. It was this work ethic that eventually brought us to London.
As a result, I can’t say I have faced any direct prejudice here – but I’m aware I’ve had a very privileged life. I’ve always been aware that I have never had to flee war, I’ve never had to escape poverty.
What inspired you to set up this Syrian heritage tour in London?
Not many people know there is a growing Syrian culture in London, and even if they do – not many people know what Syrian culture means. I think many people still group Arab countries together. While they share so many things like language and food, each also has its own traditions and stories. Thanks to my many experiences in Damascus, I can share my own connection with Syrian culture on the tour.
We also visit the Arab Hall at Leighton House, which was created by British artist Frederic Leighton. The room was completed in 1881 and shows some of the tiles he would have collected from Damascus during his travels in the region. We also visit a Syrian cafe that opened in 2014 – and the owner often tells us about how he left Syria because of the civil war. There are many reasons why Syrian people have ended up in London.
What do you hope people learn from this tour?
I feel as though the world has become less sympathetic towards others. So, I hope this tour reminds people that we are all human. When people come to a new country to live, there’s always a story most people wouldn’t understand.
In the Syrian community, I meet people who have lived in poverty or fled war, and I always find myself hoping people are sympathetic towards what they might have experienced. It breaks my heart when people are unkind to each other. Although we can’t always put ourselves in other people’s shoes, I hope we will always try.
‘I believe that it’s our responsibility… to speak out’
How do you feel we could better support our immigrant communities?
We live in a world with huge inequality; a world where people don’t have access to basic things like clean water, a right to education – the things others often take for granted. I believe that it’s our responsibility, as those living a more privileged life, to speak out and do what we can to make this world a better place.
When movements of change have taken place in the past, it was because those with privilege chose to do something. Slavery finally ended in the UK, because many abolitionists were white, and they expressed that they were against it. During the suffragette movement, it was men that fundamentally had to change their views on how they saw women, for women to gain rights.
It’s the same today. If we want to speak up for kindness and understanding towards refugees and immigrants, those with privilege have to show up [to the conversation].
Join Aburdene’s Exploring Syrian Heritage in London: Stories of Art, Food and Tradition tour.
Karen Edwards is a journalist born in London to Sri Lankan-British parents.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Runnymede Trust.
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Photo © Women in Travel CIC
