“Maya Scaff”, born in Damascus on April 13, 1969, was a Syrian actress. She studied French Literature at the University of Damascus and participated in numerous theatrical, television, and film roles. Scaff was known for her support of the Syrian Revolution since its inception in 2011, and for her opposition to Bashar al-Assad’s regime. She passed away in Paris on Monday, July 23, 2018, due to a heart attack at the age of 49.
Syrians bestowed upon her titles such as “The Revolutionary Artist,” “The Free Artist,” and “Icon of the Revolution.” Scaff’s stance was not a fleeting one; she was a signatory of the “Damascus Declaration” launched in 2005, for which Assad’s regime threatened to cut off her tongue. Known for her pro-revolutionary positions since 2011, she publicly opposed the continuation of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria. She was arrested during a peaceful demonstration along with other intellectuals in Damascus. When asked by a judge about her involvement in the Syrian Revolution against Assad’s regime, she responded, “I don’t want my son to be ruled by Hafez Bashar al-Assad.” This led to her forced departure from Syria, initially to Lebanon clandestinely, then to Jordan, and finally migrating to France with her son in 2013.
Her home in Jaramana, in the Damascus countryside, was seized by Syrian regime forces at the end of 2014. Her artistic works include “Khan al-Harir,” “Mirrors 98,” “Al-Ababid,” “Neighing at the Fronts,” “Mirage,” “Ship of Love,” and “We Are All Syrians.”
She was remembered with her last words on her page, which became a real slogan for all Syrians: “I will not lose hope… I will not lose hope. This is Great Syria, not Assad’s Syria.”
