Hope Not Fear : Finding My Way from Refugee to Filmmaker to NHS Hospital Cleaner and Activist

By Hassan Akkad

19.00 JOD

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ISBN: 9781529059816

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Binding: Hardback

Number of Pages: 304

Publication Date: 02-Sep-21

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I’ve experienced the best and worst of humanity. I’ve been detained and beaten, and welcomed and respected. And yet, this story – my story – is one of hope, not fear.

‘Hassan Akkad is a remarkable soul with a remarkable story. He not only leads us through his own physical and emotional odyssey, but teaches us about our own society.’ – Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 News

From the jasmine-scented streets of Damascus to uprisings, protest and being forced to flee his home, Hassan Akkad has experienced unbearable losses. Yet, he still holds on to hope and chooses to see the kindness in humanity every day.

Since seeking asylum in the UK, Hassan’s unshakeable instinct to raise awareness, help and connect, has seen him share not only his experience as a refugee, but to the coronavirus pandemic. Hassan documented his work as a cleaner on a London hospital Covid-19 ward. His photographs and advocacy shone a spotlight on the often overlooked NHS cleaners and porters and instigated a U-turn on a government bill that had excluded their families from the bereavement compensation scheme.

Hassan has captured hearts the world over. He bridges national and political divides, his humanity, sense of service and ideals bring people together. Hope Not Fear is a campaigning message of triumphing over adversity, standing together and uniting in kindness and love. In this book, Hassan shows us why this is the single most important message of our time.

Hassan Akkad is a photographer, film-maker and activist living in London. He fled Syria in 2015 and was part of the team that made Exodus: Our Journey to Europe which won the BAFTA for Best Factual Series or Strand in 2017. Hassan campaigned successfully for the removal of the GBP400 surcharge for immigrant NHS cleaners and porters to use the NHS themselves and for the reversal of their exclusion from its bereavement scheme. His video welcoming refugees to the UK, with Led by Donkeys, was projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover and featured across UK news networks. He has featured across print and broadcast media, including in Vogue, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Independent and on BBC News and Good Morning Britain. Hope Not Fear is his first book.

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I've experienced the best and worst of humanity. I've been detained and beaten, and welcomed and respected. And yet, this story - my story - is one of hope, not fear. 'Hassan Akkad is a remarkable soul with a remarkable story. He not only leads us through his own physical and emotional odyssey, but teaches us about our own society.' - Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 News From the jasmine-scented streets of Damascus to uprisings, protest and being forced to flee his home, Hassan Akkad has experienced unbearable losses. Yet, he still holds on to hope and chooses to see the kindness in humanity every day. Since seeking asylum in the UK, Hassan's unshakeable instinct to raise awareness, help and connect, has seen him share not only his experience as a refugee, but to the coronavirus pandemic. Hassan documented his work as a cleaner on a London hospital Covid-19 ward. His photographs and advocacy shone a spotlight on the often overlooked NHS cleaners and porters and instigated a U-turn on a government bill that had excluded their families from the bereavement compensation scheme. Hassan has captured hearts the world over. He bridges national and political divides, his humanity, sense of service and ideals bring people together. Hope Not Fear is a campaigning message of triumphing over adversity, standing together and uniting in kindness and love. In this book, Hassan shows us why this is the single most important message of our time.