
Syrian Women at the Heart of the Revolution
These women are not just names in the memory of the revolution, but rather a foundation for building a free Syria. Their struggle is a living testimony that change begins
Layal Watfeh is an award-winning musician, voice actor and composer of Syrian origin. Her compositional work spans film, television and commercials and her unique style is defined by a blend of symphonic and traditional Arabic sounds. Growing up in Damascus, Layal explored her interest in music at a young age. She began violin studies at the Conservatoire of Damascus at 9 years old, but that same year, her family left for Dubai. She continued to follow her passion.
Layal’s music career kicked off in 2002 when MBC Group offered her roles in post-production sound design, sound engineering and music composition. Throughout her career, Layal Watfeh has won numerous international awards for her work, including the Canadian Screen Music Awards (CASMA) for Best Original Main Title Theme Music in both 2022 and 2023.
We spoke with Layal to learn more. Of her many accomplishments, she states, “I am proud of every step of my career as each phase led to the next and was a learning experience, each project came with its own set of challenges and beautiful moments. I would say, probably the one project that would be widely recognised is the Ramadan music on MBC, which has become very famous and always attached to Ramadan every year.” These achievements make her extremely grateful and inspire her to strive for more.
Layal still feels a strong connection to Damascus, the place that raised her. She expresses, “All my childhood memories were created there. But at the same time, having been out of Syria for the past 35 years, I also feel like I am a citizen of the world.”
This conversation is naturally tied to place, inspiration and life stages, and Layal does not remain stagnant. She states, “My inspiration is never from the same place, each project that comes in a different phase of my life is derived from that time, that project, that emotional state that I may be in at that time.” Layal Watfeh is a remarkable embodiment of Syrian artistry, ambition and determination.
These women are not just names in the memory of the revolution, but rather a foundation for building a free Syria. Their struggle is a living testimony that change begins
Najeeb Halaby was a Syrian-American pioneer in aviation with an extraordinary journey. He was the first to make a nonstop jet flight across the US and led the largest American
Syrian artists like Marwan Barakat remind us of the cultural and social wealth that Syrians have to offer to the world, and inspire us to express ourselves and our talents,