At the time of writing this piece, two years later, Lebanon is in an even darker place*. The economic crisis had already started long before the explosion, but since August 4, the daily lives of millions of Lebanese have been worsening at a dangerous speed. Food prices have skyrocked, and fuel shortages have been causing hours of electricity cuts, forcing hospitals and businesses to shut down. Lebanon is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Those who can, leave their countries to look for a better future elsewhere.
No one should flee because of a government’s glaring mistakes. But how do we fight back?
Our voice can be a powerful weapon. They are few, and we are many. It’s up to us to choose to act, or forget and move on.
Sometimes, I choose to forget.
*This piece was written in 2022. It breaks my heart that just a few years later, since 2024, Lebanon has once again gone through incommensurable hardship and levels of destruction. Now and then, a window of silence opens and the country breathes - no bombs, no evacuations, no drones. Until it all starts over again.
Even if the Lebanese people are proclaimed by others as “resilient”, even if you’ll see them having a drink as missiles pass through the night sky, they shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences of a handful of (well, two specifically and I won’t name them but you know very well who I’m talking about) crazy, greedy men’s appalling decisions. They shouldn’t have to be resilient, over and over again. Will it ever stop?
What can we do to help?
For a comprehensive list of ways to Lebanon, visit 🇱🇧 Help Lebanon
There are many ways to help countries struck by conflict. I believe sharing stories is one of them. Stories can give hope, open minds, drive meaningful conversations and reconcile multicultural differences. They give communities a voice. Stories help us realise that some of us are lucky. They help us be grateful for what we have.
I have a project called A Mailbox for Hope. It's about creating a digital space for communities affected by conflict to share their stories and receive letters of hope from around the world. If you'd like to help me work on this project, let me know and I can tell you more.
You can share this story using the image below and this link:
https://185jours.com/Our-Stories-Fireworks
Published on 02/03/2022
Drawings and text by Maylis Moubarak
Pictures by Jo Kassis
Video by El Espectador