Its historic. Dont make it history.
Join us this sunday 4th of december at our first public space cleaning
on location at the Maameltein Roman Bridge on maameltein seaside.
this event is called for, to raise public and municipal awareness over
neglected heritage sites and the need for public spaces in our evermore crowded
cities.
we meet at Fouad Chehab parking at 9:30 am, Sunday 4th. all info
included in the link. see you there!
A living organism that’s older than the Lebanese cedars? or better, the Pyramids? Before you start rolling eyes, hear us out… In the Northern village of Bchealeh, Lebanon, lies an olive grove (that’s been certified by the hundred curious scientists that’ve come from the world’s confines to analyse it) where huge olive trees stand, and who go back to up to 80 centuries, yes, to 6000 BC, according to advanced dating techniques that were used to shed a light on those absolute rarities (growing at 1300 meters, a unique feat, as you dont usually find olive trees at such altitude).
An ambitious project aims to bring the public attention to this treasure by reorganizing the village of Bchealeh around their beloved olive grove: Artisanal goods, olive-derived products, and open air museum, and a library are among the many planned projects aiming to make of Bchealeh and its millenial trees, a touristic, cultural and historical sanctuary, for those of us who seek a glimpse and spread the word, of an ancient spirit who’s still among us since the dawn of humanity.
First internationalParticipation of the Association, (APLH), in the International Forum, “Urban Transformations, Creative Ecosystems and Social Cohesion, European Cultural Policies between Crisis and Development”, under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic,
Ravello, Italy , (October 2011)
This Libnanews article speaks of a recent find in port Beirut, which went unnoticed amidst the daily bustle of lebanese people who are oblivious to everything going on around them.
This Port has been unearthed by development works and will likely be entombed forever:
it is our duty as citizens to speak up to our leaders, to tell them that this unearthed heritage is our only treasure, yet we’re squandering it. This is tourism, but more importantly this is History.
read more on this here.
The Association for the Protection of the Lebanese Heritage [APLH] is launching the campaign “The Threat is Concrete/Hold On To Your Roots” with the support of L’HOTE LIBANAIS, Lebanon’s pioneering Bed & Breakfast network.
The Campaign aims to raise public awareness towards a law draft protecting traditional
edifices, but addresses the parliament in a bid to pressure it using public opinion, to vote
for the implementation of this law. This campaign signals the beginning of a close
collaboration between the APLH and L’HOTE LIBANAIS, aiming to preserve national heritage.
This partnership equally seeks to help safeguard and preserve the Lebanese identity’s cultural constituents, help the owners of traditional dwellings who intend to restore their buildings, encourage more people to attach themselves to their heritage, and also to support the APLH in its mission to widely spread the scope of its awareness activities.
Last but not least, to bring to the tourist, the unique experience of experiencing
true Lebanese hospitality, in its most authentic context.
Special thanks to the Pikasso network for donating the APLH a 10 scroller advertising space for 1 full week, to l’Hote Libanais for their valuable partnership and to Mr Farid Chehab whose generous contribution covered the biggest chunk of the campaign’s printing expenses. Thanks for believing and for walking the talk!
www.lhotelibanais.com
www.protect-lebaneseheritage.com
social cohesion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_cohesion
There are many actions between people of a community or several interacting communities that can determine how deep their social cohesion is.
based on that we can determine that there are 2 main levels of social cohesion (SC):
level 1: traditions, history, culture, artisan skills, art, beliefs, moral code and folklore are elements shared between individuals belonging to a community, throughout the ages. such elements determine a social cohesion that is present on the deepest level of a community because it took many generations and centuries to form. when these elements are shared by a community, we can say that a community has an definitive identity, because this community possesses a deep level social cohesion.
level 2: then there are more superficial elements of interaction between people (of the same community or of different communities) and these are things like commercial ties (relying on another country or people for the supply of materials/commodities unavailable to the people demanding them), individual preferences (trends and fashions, food preferences shared by groups of individuals), friendships and groups forming from individual preferences (like motorcycle or sports car clubs) and entertainment (tourism, nightlife, going to the movies, shopping, etc).
social media is currently boosting the level 2 SC by helping spread the activities
and elements proper to this specific kind of SC. why? because world corporations have found the perfect media (effective and cheap!) to reach their clientele, and so,
social media is now a commercial tool.
the rise of globalism and the encouraging of multiculturalism and liberal economy ideologies have hugely increased level 2 SC and endangered level 1 SC by appealing to the modern man through shopping for and owning more commodities, identifying with celebrities, pursuing individual status and the appearance of a ‘cool’ lifestyle as a mean of success and self satisfaction.
the paradigm offered by our modern times is firmly and strongly rooted in commerce. as a result, our lives mostly show a level 2 SC where even history, folklore and traditions are used in pure commercial terms to sell ‘vintage’ products.
we will now only talk about the SC status in lebanon as it’s different from that of europe:
a country’s economy mainly relies on 3 major economic motors:
1-industry
2-agriculture
3-banking and services (tourism, commerce, etc)
lebanon’s industry and agriculture make about 30% of its economy
which means that the main drive in Lebanon’s economy is its banking and services sector. due to the large and quick revenues that banking and services provide, the lebanese have never been interested in developing their industry and agriculture (despite being the country with the most fertile lands in the arab peninsula). in true phoenician fashion the lebanese, prefer the quick returns offered by commerce, ranging from all kinds of imports, to real estate and development. this direction has always been encouraged by a ‘laissez-faire’ mentality that has been present throughout Lebanon’s modern times (early 20th century-present).
a heavily commercial mindset like that of the lebanese, is a strong foundation for level 2 SC, as evidenced by the lebanese people’s strong following of world fashions and trends, the paramount importance of owning the latest technology,
and the quasi obsession in surfing the lifestyle wave, as a means to glorify individual status.
the lebanese, and their governments, have always endangered level1 SC by never
encouraging serious industry and agriculture as means to enhance patriotism and the love of the citizen to his country. it’s a vicious circle: the people elect their leaders, the leaders never do any economic reforms, the people dont object, and re-elect the same kind of leaders. we have found that industry is the biggest source of national pride as evidenced by the current losses happening in the US industry by sending industrial jobs to china in an attempt to lower the prices of their commodities. this resulted in the shrinking of the US industry (and consequently, its economy), and the feeling of national pride and strong identity that americans feel when seeing ‘made in the USA’ on the back of their products.
producing a quality product is a source of pride for a country’s people. it enhances the country’s identity to the level where it almost becomes synonymous to this country and its people: german precision, italian refinement or english craftsmanship are a few examples of adjectives we’ve come to associate with certain countries because of their respective industries and products born off those industries. the lebanese have a production limited to a few food brands and nothing more. this doesnt count as industry. they also chose to forsake their fertile lands in favor for quick profit. to correct these huge mistakes, the solutions are easy but will take many years and decades to get the lebanese people to adopt them: the lebanese government must actively and financially invest in industry and technological research, and it must optimize the use of its wealth of water and agriculture. we dare to dream as much.
This article of The Beirut Report pretty much says it all…
We want to keep pointing out the fishiness still taking part in the heart of Beirut
and asking the Lebanese Citizen to do his/her minimum required civic duty, by
asking all the legitimate questions: why cant i take a picture? what is taking place here?
is this a legal proceeding? what is going to be build in the place of this old house?
who are the people who will live in these quarters? not beirutis, that’s for sure.
It’s the social fabric and the very future of this country which is at stake here.
by uprooting its past with heavy machinery, it becomes easier to pacify and colonize…
Add life to your balcony or garden by hanging these miniature hollow houses. Welcome the birds instead of shooting them (for a change).
Please circulate and email/call the UNESCWA quickly to register your names
this is a very special opportunity for you to
actively participate in saving Beirut’s heritage.
If you aren’t a member of a rowing team, you probably have never noticed
that there is a small lighthouse on the port side of the BIEL peninsula. In
fact you have to go to the very farthest end of the last parking lot at
BIEL and take a stairway to the other side of the wall that separates BIEL
from the port area to reach it. It is said to be the oldest lighthouse in
Beirut, built by the French during the 1930s, and is now in terrible
condition. The Rowing Federation that has its headquarters nearby is
planning to have a Rowing Day on June 18th to introduce people in Lebanon
to the sport of rowing, and a group of us are trying to fix up the
lighthouse for the occasion. You are invited to participate in the project.
We will have three workdays the coming three Saturdays, with two shifts
each day (9 am-1 pm and 3-7 pm):
· May 28th — THIS Saturday (scraping old paint off the walls)
· June 4th (plastering to fill all the holes and smooth the rough
spots)
· June 11th (painting)
For this Saturday, all you need to bring is water and a scraper (and
probably a hat and sunscreen). You can either order lunch or go out of the
area for lunch (or just be there for one shift).
Please let me know immediately (and definitely by noon on Friday) if you
want to join us this Saturday. I need to know your name, cell phone number,
email address and which shift(s) you will be there. I think it’s going to
be great fun, and an opportunity to view Beirut from a very special vantage
point.
Please forward to those whom you think will be interested.
All the best,
neda jafar
UN ESCWA
jafarn@un.org
