Dounia Show

As we see some countries go to war, have heartbreaking political changes and more, we often can forget about the people behind the politics. Lives can change forever and unfortunately, many of those lives are that of children. The word “refugee” is often heard of the news to summarize those fleeing one country to go to another. This new CBC gem, Dounia, highlights the life of one special little girl from Syria and her life under the lens of a child leaving Syria as a refugee and her arrival and settling in Canada.

aleppo refugee

Little Dounia is a fun, happy six year old girl. She lives in Syria in the city of Aleppo with her grandparents. At the beginning of the series, we learn her father is in prison and her mother is gone. Little Dounia misses them but her grandparents keep her busy with tasks and she has a beautiful community of people surrounding her.

dounia cbc gem

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Aleppo to Canada

Dounia means ” world” in Arabic. This young girl travels half way across the world for safety. We watch as these short 7 or 8 minute shows illustrate a little girl and her family flee a country to seek asylum in Canada. From the beautiful illustrated animation to the adorable family, Dounia’s family is relatable and beautiful. We follow this brave family as they travel to the unknown to escape war. The series reads like a poem, is sensitive to the experiences of refugees but also paints an accurate picture of a little girl experiences displacement, war and the unknown for the first time. This also highlights the strength and love of a family. Lastly, her grandparents try to make her life as normal as possible, when it can seem upside-down. The selflessness and love each family has for one another is portrayed so beautifully that one can’t help but to see it as a animated masterpiece.

dounia syrian refugee

Learn about the nigella seeds which is the wisdom of the ancient world that comes to Douina’s rescue. The moments are real, sometimes dark (as can be expected). However, the message is clear, in the most absolute of darkness there is light. The beautiful of children, the strength of family and the search for peace and safety is a total expression of how we can stay together during the darkest of times.

Be sure to watch Dounia on CBC Gem!