Wreaths of flowers in memory of the migrants died at sea trying to reach Europe, on April 16, 2016, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Filippo Monteforte / AFP Photo
Wreaths of flowers in memory of the migrants died at sea trying to reach Europe, on April 16, 2016, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Filippo Monteforte / AFP Photo
Wreaths of flowers in memory of the migrants died at sea trying to reach Europe, on April 16, 2016, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Filippo Monteforte / AFP Photo
Wreaths of flowers in memory of the migrants died at sea trying to reach Europe, on April 16, 2016, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Filippo Monteforte / AFP Photo

Opinion

When art speaks up

The world needs constant reminders of the interminable horrors of the war in Syria

National Editorial

June 05, 2016

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The Sea Cemetery art installation off the coast of Turkey is a beautiful and poignant floating memorial to those who drowned trying to escape the horrors of the Syrian conflict. More than 4,000 Syrian refugees have died at sea over the past few years. Many of these people left the world without being identified and their bodies have never been found. Many more, like the toddler Aylan Kurdi, perished in the most traumatic circumstances.

This gesture from the Turkey-based international NGO Support to Life, which consists of about 200 styrofoam tombstones floating in the Mediterranean, acts as a reminder that these people are more than just statistics, and that many more will lose their lives as long as the war continues to rage in Syria.

We can only hope that it will inspire the international community to break the cycle of violence. Without working on a permanent solution to the Syrian crisis, how many more installations will we need in the future?

RefugeesTurkeySyriaEurope