DOCT

As a pediatrician who has been extensively engaged in medical work amidst conflict zones, cynicism and numbness are tempting coping mechanisms. However, distancing myself was never an option when dealing with children, and numbing proved unsustainable.

Instead, I chose endurance - a challenging state of mind, I have to admit. Art became my outlet, a way to externalize the unimaginable that I cannot really talk about with anyone around me. (How do you explain the inexplicable?)

I tried to solve this by writing a diary but words struggled to capture the nuances. My diary now serves as a conceptual guide, helping me externalize some of the more haunting memories.

I am not an activist but pledged neutrality instead, something which has become rather old-fashioned in the humanitarian field.

Through my art, I regain control, encapsulating memories in images and allowing me to decide when and how to confront them. While not always visually comfortable, it serves this important purpose for me.

You, dear observer, may interpret it as you please.