Across the world, artworks, books and historic sites are systematically destroyed in an attempt to wipe entire communities from history. Attacks on collective memory during periods of civil unrest and war are not new—and they continue to this day. In Syria and Iraq, thousands of years of cultural heritage are currently being erased at an alarming pace. Yet destruction is met with resistance. Laws and international agreements play a vital role, but it is above all courageous individuals who risk—and sometimes lose—their lives to protect cultural heritage.
