It's
not quite what you'd imagine when you think of Super Mario and his
adventures through the fictional Mushroom Kingdom: a satirical take on
the original Nintendo video game is being used to explain the reality
for Syrians crossing Europe.
Through the character "Refugee Mario," this
YouTube video
shows the perilous journey taken by thousands seeking refuge in Europe.
Gone are Luigi and Princess Peach. Smugglers take Mario on a risky
journey across the Mediterranean Sea where he eventually encounters
Hungarian border guards and is thrown into prison. At several points
throughout the video Refugee Mario faces obstacles which lead to his
death.
The video was made by a 29 year old Syrian man based in
Istanbul, Turkey. Going only by a pseudonym Samir Al-Mufti, for what he
cites as security reasons, he told us how he came up with the idea. "A
lot of my friends have fled for Europe. From talking to them I built a
clear idea of what they went through and the life threatening risks they
took".
"Five months ago my best friend drowned in the sea while
travelling from Ismir (Turkey) to Greece. The engine on the boat
exploded. That's when I got the idea for the video," Samir told BBC
Trending.
"It needed to be a simple and clear idea which would
work irrespective of language. I used Super Mario because it's famous
all over the world. It's like music - a universal language," he said.
The video has been watched by thousands on YouTube and
Facebook since being uploaded by the company
Online For Media Production,
which makes satirical political content often about Syria. It has
generated a far reaching conversation. "That surprised me," says Samir.
It's not just Syrian people watching this. People all over the world are
talking about it."
Samir's personal story has also deeply
inspired his work. Originally from Homs, where some of the most fierce
fighting took place during the height of the conflict, he fled in 2011.
"Before the revolution, I was a student in Homs University studying
French in the Faculty of Literature. I also worked in a company as a PR
officer," he says.
But after two of his brothers were killed,
Samir fled to Turkey via Egypt, taking is parents and sister with him.
His participation in protests against the regime of Bashar al-Assad was
another reason to leave. "I was portrayed as a protest leader after
being carried on the shoulders of the demonstrators. This was a mistake.
I'm not a member of any rebel group or political organisation," he
says.
Despite leaving his homeland and using a pseudonym,
Samir is still a sharp critic of President Bashar al-Assad. He uses a
unique talent to make animated videos which poke fun at Assad's
speeches.
"My voice is very similar to Assad. It's a gift that I
can mock Assad's voice." He says. "I discovered this gift before the
revolution started and I knew deep inside that I would take advantage of
it at some point in the future." Samir's
have become very popular on YouTube. "In one of the videos I announced
Assad was stepping down," Samir says. "This forced Syria's Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting to issue a public statement denying Assad's
departure."
It could be seen as a risky way to make a living,
but as far as Samir is concerned he doesn't have anything to lose. "It's
very lonely now," he says, referring to the death of his brothers. "It
was for our freedom. It's not a big price to pay. We used to live in
Syria without any dignity or freedom. We don't have anything now. It's
so disappointing to see what is happening with this refugee crisis. It's
life or death. We have to make our own futures".
