On August 19, we gathered in Swaida to close the first round of the Living Memory Award.

It was an evening of gratitude, and a reminder that the story itself deserves to be kept and told.

More than a year after the July massacre, our duty remains to preserve the names of those we lost, their stories and their sacrifices, and to carry them in trust for those who come after us, so the roots stay clear and the story stays alive.

They are our maqam… and we are the witnesses.

That's where Maqam al-Dhakira came from, and where the Living Memory Award came from: our belief that art and culture are ways we keep our memory, express who we are, and turn pain into meaning, through words, images, sound, and beauty.

The winning works were shown, the jury spoke about the submissions, and we thanked everyone who contributed and took part.

But what matters most is that every submission is part of Maqam al-Dhakira, and every story told adds something to what will remain.

We want these stories to keep coming, and to grow with what people bring to it.

As long as there are those among us who tell the story…