Source Images:

Front: (1) Naji al Jerf portrait. (2) Shmemis castle, built on an extinct volcano in 1st century BC by Sampsiceramus I, the first Priest King of the Royal family of Emesa. Located 3 km of west of located in north west of Salamiyeh, Naji’s birthplace. (3) Syrian banknotes.

Back: (1) Naji al Jerf’s wife and family mourning at his funeral. (2) Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently’s logo. (3) Syrian banknotes.

Naji al Jerf was a Syrian journalist, filmmaker, activist, editor and co-founder of the citizen journalist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently. Naji trained many journalists, filmmakers and activists throughout his life. His nickname was “uncle” because of the generosity and compassion he shared with his community. He risked his life by taking a vow to expose ISIS war crimes/uncovering their secrets in Syria and was assassinated by ISIS in Turkey in 2015. He was amongst the first journalists who documented the Syrian Civil War and shared it with the world.

 

This banknote is available for sale. Half of the proceeds goes to IRC organization for emergency relief in Syria, and the other half covers production costs. For more information please email: email@azinseraj.com

 

Mission Statement from IRC organization:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers emergency aid and long-term assistance to refugees and those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster. The IRC is currently working in over 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities where it resettles refugees and helps them become self-sufficient. It focuses mainly on health, education, economic wellbeing, power, and safety. The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future.

 

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Foreign Exchange incorporates the emblems taken from banknotes and utilizes images from news media to highlight voices of resistance from countries that have been impacted by U.S. national interests. The banknotes feature influential figures and monumental events that draw attention to socio-political tensions existing both within a country’s borders and beyond. Foreign Exchange offers an alternative platform to archive and share cultural currencies.