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JORDAN / SYRIAN ICE CREAM
STORY: JORDAN / SYRIAN ICE CREAM
TRT: 3.03
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 05 JULY 05, 2013, MADINA AL MONAWARA
1. Wide Shot, exterior of ice cream parlor
2. Med shot of employees using mallets to pound ice cream
3. Close up, Mallet
4. Med shot, kids watching
5. Close up, girl watching
6. Med shot, people watching
7. Med shot, man mixing ice cream
8. Close up, ice cream being mixed
9. Med shot, ice cream in bowls
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samira Hanna, Customer:
“I have come to taste the ice cream. The last time I tried it was in Syria more then four years ago, so when I heard it opened here I came to check it out.”
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abu Hayek, Syrian Refugee and Customer:
“The manager here is Syrian, the people working with him, and even many of the customers. It makes us feel like we are in Syria again. It makes being away from home a little easier. The situation is still so hard there… We have to take so many precautions if we just want to go buy a sandwich or go to the bakery because of the rockets and sniper fire...”
12. Wide shot, people sitting down eating ice cream
13. Med shot, family eating ice cream
14. Close up, boy eating ice cream
15. Med shot, waiter serving ice cream
16. Med shot, Hamza walking in front of entrance
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hamza Ghazoli, Syrian staff, Backdash:
“I was worked at Backdash in Syria for three years. But then we started experiencing problems in our area and I had to escape to Jordan. My boss helped me get work here at the new branch in Amman. I have been here for about a month and a half now. I came because the situation in Syria has become very difficult.”
18. Med shot, men kneading ice cream
19. Close up, ice cream being covered with pistachios
20. Med shot, families eating ice cream
21. Close up, girl eating ice cream
22. Med shot, owner giving orders
23. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Moafak, Jordanian owner, Backdash:
“The are several reasons why we decided to open the franchise; our biggest motivator was the ongoing problems in Syria. The second reason is the massive increase in refugees in Amman...and thirdly we’ve found a good location that’s busy with people and many restaurants. Most of our employees are Syrian even the managers. They have a unique way of making and serving ice cream. They also have a very good rapport with the customers that come here.”
24. Med shot, people working
25. Med shot, customer using mallet
It’s Friday evening.
And people have gathered to enjoy the sights and sounds of old Damascus.
An ice cream tradition that goes back more then 200 years.
But this is Amman.
And for Syrians and Jordanians alike the opening of Backdash is a reason to celebrate.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samira Hanna, customer:
“I have come to taste the ice cream. The last time I tried it was in Syria more then four years ago, so when I heard it opened here I came to check it out.”
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abu Hayek, Syrian Refugee and Customer:
“The manager here is Syrian, the people working with him, and even many of the customers. It makes us feel like we are in Syria again. It makes being away from home a little easier. The situation is still so hard there… We have to take so many precautions if we just want to go buy a sandwich or go to the bakery because of the rockets and sniper fire.”
The ice cream's journey is familiar to many of the people who are here.
It is brought by truck through perilous roads from war-torn Syria every two weeks.
Most employees at Backdash are Syrian refugees who were forced to flee their homes.
Ahmed and his family barely escaped with their lives.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hamza Ghazoli, Syrian staff, Backdash:
“I worked at Backdash in Syria for three years. But then we started experiencing problems in our area and I had to escape to Jordan. My boss helped me get work here at the new branch in Amman. I have been here for about a month and a half now. I came because the situation in Syria has become very difficult. ”
There were many obstacles to launching Backdash in Amman.
But Moafak the owner still believed his business could be successful.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Moafak, Jordanian owner of Backdash:
“The are several reasons why we decided to open the franchise; our biggest motivator was the ongoing problems in Syria. The second reason is the massive increase in refugees in Amman and thirdly we’ve found a good location that’s busy with people and many restaurants. Most of our employees are Syrian even the managers. They have a unique way of making and serving ice cream. They also have a very good rapport with the customers that come here.”
There are currently an estimated 500,000 Syrians refugees in the country.
Good business for a delicacy that triggers memories of a better time.
And a place they hope to see again soon.
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