Hajar Aswad

In the Hajar Aswad (Black Stone) district in Damascus, 15-year-old Mohammad and 14-year-old Mostafa rent a horse and cart every day to collect metal and plastic for resale–their contribution to the survival of missing or scattered families. Their stories are ones of abandon, the schooling they had to stop, brawls, prison, gluesniffing, alcohol, illiteracy. They learnt early on to flee family violence. During the day’s work, they sometimes stop off to see friends. They dream of girls, of the day they will be able to read the street signs or write their name, of a future job… They take occasional walks in the city, a huge territory encompassing their tiny district.