Adonis: The Issue in Syria is Not Regime Change, but Societal Change

Adonis, the prominent Syrian poet who has been in exile in France for years, has called for 'societal change' in addition to political regime change in response to the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria. Ali Ahmad Said Esber, known as 'Adonis,' reacted to the political developments in Syria during a literary award ceremony in Paris. Now 94 years old, Adonis told reporters before receiving the award: 'First of all, I am cautious because I left Syria in 1956, and therefore I do not deeply know Syria now.' Regarding Bashar al-Assad, the ousted president of Syria whose regime was ultimately overthrown by a coalition of armed rebels after 24 years of uncontested presidency, he said: 'I have always opposed this regime.' The poet, who lives near Paris and has often been mentioned as a nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature, continued: 'But what do those who replaced him want to do? The issue is not regime change; the issue is societal change.' He elaborated on his concept of societal change: 'This means the freedom of women, building a society based on rights and freedoms, and based on openness and internal independence.' Adonis stated: 'Arabs - meaning Arab nations - do not change society; rather, they change the government and power. If we do not change society, we have done nothing. Replacing one government with another is superficial.' This Syrian poet, who acquired Lebanese citizenship in his youth, received the International Poetry Prize Juan Maragall for his works written in Arabic and French. This award, named after a Spanish poet of the same name, is granted by the Cervantes Institute. Adonis, who adopted this name for his first poems at the age of 17, was imprisoned for a time in his youth due to political activities. In 2011, when the protests known as the 'Arab Spring' reached Syria, many Syrian poets and writers called for Bashar al-Assad to step down from power. Among them, Adonis directly held Bashar al-Assad responsible for the crimes in Syria and called for his resignation. Adonis has previously won prestigious awards such as the Goethe Prize in Germany. He is also a familiar name to Iranians, having traveled to Iran a few years ago and recited poetry in Shiraz. Adonis, who also has political articles, strongly believes in the separation of religion from politics, especially in countries with Muslim populations.