Damascus Education Ministry drops Saadallah Wannous’s name from School

The decision came as part of a broader campaign by the Ministry to approve the renaming of dozens of schools in the capital, under what it called an effort to “remove symbols of the former regime.” However, the inclusion of Wannous’s name in this campaign was met with shock, as critics argued that his legacy had no connection to the Assad family and instead represented a cultural and national symbol.

Fayza Al-Shawish voiced strong disappointment, asserting that Wannous had dedicated his career to confronting authoritarianism and dictatorship, and that conflating his name with regime symbols was a grave misjudgment.

Saadallah Wannous, one of Syria’s most influential playwrights in the latter half of the twentieth century, left a profound mark on Arab theater through seminal works such as “The King is the King” and “Historical Miniatures.” His plays served as a voice of resistance to totalitarianism until his passing in 1997 after a long illness.

Observers contend that the Ministry’s step is more than an administrative measure; it represents a rupture with Syria’s independent cultural memory, erasing a legacy that stood apart from the authoritarian political establishment.

a.k

ANHA