Syrian Refugee Describes Struggle with Nightmares in 'Black Forest'

Syrian Refugee Describes Struggle with Nightmares in 'Black Forest'
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Syrian Refugee Describes Struggle with Nightmares in 'Black Forest'

Syrian Refugee Describes Struggle with Nightmares in 'Black Forest'

Ramina Books, London, has recently released the “Black Forest” novel by Germany-based Syrian novelist Mazen Arafa.

The story takes place in a city, southern Germany, where a Syrian refugee lives in struggle from “war trauma”. The title of the book reflects the darkness in his spirit caused by the terror he saw during the war and how it still haunts him through nightmares.

One day, the refugee wakes up without a memory, in a safe “European city” that has no people, without knowing how he arrived there. He lives alone with illusions and surrealistic nightmares, and his unconsciousness manifests in worlds of madness and absurdity.

These worlds not only express the terror he’s keeping inside him, but also the cultural trauma of a refugee living in a cold, emotionless western community after he was used to the eastern intimacy and warmth in his country. But his temporary break outside the “mental therapy resort” helps to draw a real image of the social environment he lives in, in an attempt to explain his nightmares.

The protagonist’s fight with his terror eventually leads him to record his story in the “memories’ trees”, a real tree in the forest with a hole that contains a notebook in which passerby write down their stories.

The cover of the 206-page book, is designed by Yassine Ahmadi, and features a painting of the Kurdish-Syrian artist Khodr Abdul Karim.



Chinese Travel More during Dragon Boat Holiday but Spending Lags

Spectators watch as participants take part in a dragon boat tug-of-war competition in the waters of Xujiachong harbour to mark the Dragon Boat festival, in Yichang, Hubei province, China May 31, 2025. China Daily via REUTERS
Spectators watch as participants take part in a dragon boat tug-of-war competition in the waters of Xujiachong harbour to mark the Dragon Boat festival, in Yichang, Hubei province, China May 31, 2025. China Daily via REUTERS
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Chinese Travel More during Dragon Boat Holiday but Spending Lags

Spectators watch as participants take part in a dragon boat tug-of-war competition in the waters of Xujiachong harbour to mark the Dragon Boat festival, in Yichang, Hubei province, China May 31, 2025. China Daily via REUTERS
Spectators watch as participants take part in a dragon boat tug-of-war competition in the waters of Xujiachong harbour to mark the Dragon Boat festival, in Yichang, Hubei province, China May 31, 2025. China Daily via REUTERS

Chinese people travelled more over the three-day Dragon Boat holiday this year, but spending remained below pre-pandemic levels, government data showed on Tuesday - indicators that are closely watched as barometers of consumer confidence.

Consumption in the world's second-largest economy has suffered amid sputtering growth and a prolonged property crisis, with uncertainty from the US-China trade war also weighing on consumer confidence.

The latest data painted a mixed picture for China's consumer economy. Travelers took an estimated 119 million domestic journeys from Friday to Monday, up 5.7% from the same holiday period last year, according to the Ministry for Tourism and Culture.

Overall spending over the period rose to 42.73 billion yuan ($5.94 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.9%, but the average amount spent per traveler was a little under 360 yuan ($50), according to Reuters calculations, remaining stubbornly below 2019 levels of around 410 yuan per trip.

The Dragon Boat Festival took place from May 31 to June 2 - and is celebrated throughout the country with local dragon boat races. Many people take the opportunity to have short holidays, crowding train stations and airports around the country.

Cross-border journeys rose 2.7% to 5.9 million, with 231,000 foreign nationals entering the country visa-free during the holiday, broadcaster CCTV said late on Monday.

China has been expanding its visa policy, with citizens of 43 countries granted visa-free access, while visa-free transit for up to 240 hours in China is available for 54 countries.

Rail lines saw the peak of return passenger flow on June 2, with authorities adding 1,279 trains to more than 11,000 passenger trains overall across the country, while road travel was up 3% year-on-year, with 600 million car journeys recorded, mostly travelling short distances.

Chinese also boosted spending on entertainment over the holiday, with cinema box office revenue reaching 460 million yuan ($63.9 million), surpassing last year’s 384 million yuan, according to data from online ticketing platform Maoyan.

Tom Cruise’s latest movie "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" topped charts, and generated 228 million yuan, half of the total revenue during the holiday period, which was seen as a positive indicator for the upcoming summer season.