“You [saw] all this edgy TV work but it [didn’t] touch the leader,” she said. For example, when a soap opera opera dealt with corruption, the program never blamed Assad for the corruption. Instead, the series showed an Assad-like figure who could solve the problem. “[In the mosalsalats], the authority of the leader is justified even more because of the fight against corruption,” Donatella said.

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“Traditionally, Syrians made the soaps, while Gulf channels broadcast them to the region. Those broadcasters are often based in countries that have severed ties with the regime and are now boycotting Syrian TV programs. It’s led to a resurgence in the Egyptian TV production industry–but it means that Syrian voices are struggling to be heard.”

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