Independent Spirit
Ahmed Dublat always wanted to be self-employed. Fate brought this Syrian refugee to Luxembourg where he finally realised his dream of starting his own business. A journey full of pitfalls. A portrait.
The Syrian has been living in Luxembourg for seven years now. Like his compatriots, he fled the war and the terror regime of Bashar al-Assad. Well, not exactly. Ahmed had already left for Dubai when the war broke out in his country. Now 34 years old, he left home as soon as possible: "I have been working since I was 14 years old, I left my parents' house as soon as I could because I have always had an independent spirit. So I was in Dubai when the war started, I didn't see all that…" Except when he returns home to celebrate the end of Ramadan with his family, an argument between neighbours breaks out, a crowd forms in the street, Ahmed goes to try to restore calm, but he didn't count on the regime's soldiers who see a crowd and fire live ammunition from afar. The young man escaped with a bullet in his arm, the scar of which is still visible today. What was supposed to be a few days of festivities with his family turned into a long stay in hospital. Ahmed will never set foot in his native country again.
