Living memory
Serene Assir watches as catastrophe in Lebanon transforms the collective memory of the country
"I have tears in my eyes. I love being in Lebanon, as it is always opening its arms to receive you. I had forgotten for a while how it feels to be Lebanese. But my recent visits reminded me of the country's humanity, and its people's unshakable will and love of life."
Thus says Ahlam Bekdash, a Lebanese woman living in Sweden, whose testimony underlines a particularly disturbing fact: while the humanitarian catastrophe in Lebanon unfolds, memory and symbolism are equally under attack. For expatriate Lebanese and foreigners alike, and whether or not they have visited the country, the intentional Israeli destruction of Lebanese infrastructure, the killing of civilians -- one-third of them children -- and the obliteration of entire neighbourhoods is having an indelible effect on what Lebanon is in the mind -- especially Lebanon remembered.
Even among Egyptians who have been unable to travel beyond their own borders, any mention of Lebanon, whether before or during the present rampage, has triggered discussions and characterisations. As demonstrations decry Israel's aggression all across the world, Cairo included, the symbolism -- positive or negative -- has taken on new guises. "The current destruction no doubt includes one key aim, which is to devour the memory of Lebanon," Maha Lotfi, a Lebanese living in Cairo, confirms. "The destruction of buildings is not merely about destroying homes." Rather, it has the effect of wiping out all memory of daily life. After all, the accumulation of these memories will play a lead role in the creation and consolidation of an individual's identity and will.
In Egypt, the presence of Lebanon in social consciousness has for many years been felt. "We have been continually exposed to images from Lebanon through the media," said Sherif Abdel-Moneim, a rising star in the Egyptian pop scene. "It is particularly the case with the music channels, in which Lebanese artists play an almost unrivalled role." Indeed, if there is a country that can rival Lebanon in its musical and artistic output today that country would undoubtedly be Egypt -- hence artists on both sides of Palestine frequently visit each other's countries for filming, recording and public-relations purposes. "I was in Lebanon recently to film my clip and record my latest song," Abdel-Moneim added. "And while I was accustomed to seeing Lebanon on Melody TV, now I'm following it on the news. The shift is drastic." He went on to say that he is currently writing a song to be dedicated to Lebanon.
For Mustafa El-Selwawi from Aswan, however, unlimited media exposure has led to the construction of false images of the now beleaguered country. "I have never visited Lebanon," he explains, "but what I can say for sure is that the images broadcast only tell us half the truth. Singers and media workers -- who for the most part represent the face of Lebanon to the world -- portray their country as being highly developed, a part of France if you like. However, it is clear from what we are seeing now on the news that this is not the complete story."
For Ahmed El-Droubi, a Syrian- Egyptian political activist residing in Cairo, the whole meaning of Lebanon has changed: "Lebanon has become a symbol of resistance, as have the national and Hizbullah flags." He went on to describe his visit to Lebanon two years ago as having been an enlightenment: "While the country has continued to suffer from an unfair distribution of wealth, its variety is beautiful and truly admirable." He spoke of Beirut as being unique in that there are few places in the world where you can witness a sheikh giving a public religious sermon across the road from a couple kissing publicly.
Another aspect of the public impression of Lebanon is the notion that the country is split along sectarian lines. "Why is it the case that southern Lebanon is so marginalised, compared to the north?" El-Selwawi asked. "Surely different sects should come together." Today, faced with increasing reports signalling the threat of a new split through Lebanese society, Lotfi explained that this is not the first time Lebanon has found itself at such a crossroads: "Those of us who experienced the civil war know that the splits were, for the most part, the result of covert and overt actions by foreign powers." Yet however concerted the attempt, and however destructive the civil war, by and large it failed. "Even when we were not allowed to cross over into the cantonments where people of other sects were living, we would remain in contact with them by telephone. Let us hope this time the Lebanese will manage to remain united, particularly as they are all coming under a single attack."
Under unremitting bombing, it appears unlikely that such splits will emerge -- at least for now. As El-Droubi points out, the targeting of all areas has, perhaps ironically, united the Lebanese. And even for Egyptians who know little of Lebanon, they are unwittingly united by their awareness of the nation's beauty. The south, which has come under attack so many times in its history, retains an unparalleled beauty in the mind and memory of Hicham Safieddine, a Lebanese journalist living in Canada. "When you drive along the coastal road leading to Tyre, a sting of small hamlets strung up on the mountain greet you with small houses, dry rocky landscapes overlooking the coastal fields of citrus," he recalled.
Notwithstanding anguish and fear, it will not be easy for Israeli aggression to destroy such memories. "Whatever the Israelis try," according to Sarah Madhoun, a Lebanese living in Spain, "they will not manage to break society." Her 15- year-old daughter, May, has never lived in Lebanon, but even she demonstrates that the wars and destruction that determined her life's path cannot erase Lebanon from her memory: "I really don't know many people there, but those I do know are all kind and lovable. I feel proud of originating from such a great culture." Even for Salah, an Egyptian dancer who has never visited Lebanon and who once felt disdain for what he saw as its tendency to Westernisation, "What Lebanon has demonstrated to me now is that, beneath its façade of what I understood to be excessive liberalism, deep down there is a spirit, and it is truly free."
Caption: Following evacuation a family of Lebanese origin finds shelter back in Germany while global protests condemn Israel's attacks
C a p t i o n 2: Following evacuation a family of Lebanese origin finds shelter back in Germany while global protests condemn Israel's attacks
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/805/fe1.htm