Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago

---

“Courage is having fears, having all this worry, having all this trauma, and still having the energy to keep going.”

I am Diala Brisly. I am an artist, an activist and a refugee. I was forced to flee Syria in 2013 and now I have resettled in France.

I started running art therapy workshops for children affected by war. A lot of the kids saw their close friends, their siblings dying in front of them in a very ugly way. So I realised how important it is to use art to empty out all this terror we have inside.

In my illustration for the IRC, there are men and women of different ages and cultures. And there is a character presented as LGBTQ, and there is a child. It's very important to show solidarity among refugees. I believe in solidarity between all people.

Seeing my artwork going around the world surprises me. I hope it will have an impact on the people who see it. Maybe it will change the stereotype of refugees. “

Caption written by Diala Brisly.

Find out more at: rescue-uk.org/article/illustrating-courage-world-refugee-day