1. Torgeir Fjeld, and Sharif Abdunnur. “Lebanon in Revolt.” Inscriptions, no. 1, 2020. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.424715458080483a8e29c99d4e17c5cb&site=eds-live&scope=site.
This topic talks about the protests that are happening in Lebanon.
This source made me understand the situation that is happening in Lebanon now. The country isn’t doing well at all, and the government isn’t helping the people. The protest occurred because the corrupt government is trying to tax the people on WhatsApp (communication app). The people don’t want the government to take advantage of them. The people made me think of how the protest is related to my research. As many people left Lebanon after the civil war, people started studying abroad, and they became more educated. Now the Lebanese Diaspora around the world is fighting to get their country back.
2. On October 20th, 2019, protest all over the world started happening for Lebanon. I remember that almost every country had a protest for Lebanon. It made me realize that the Lebanese Diaspora population is much larger than Lebanon’s population. Perhaps that’s why the protest gained such attention. When hearing and seeing the videos of the rally in Montreal, it felt heartwarming that the sectarian divide that occurred amongst Lebanese people wasn’t a thing anymore. Lebanese people are more united and work together. They’re no longer individuals in a corrupt government.
3. There’s a song by a famous Lebanese singer named Fayrouz called Le Beirut.
- The song shows her love for the city and how she wants peace for it. This song really shows the emotions of the Lebanese people, she describes Lebanon as beautiful and sweet. And that it breaks her heart to see Lebanon becoming ash. She even say’s “My city has turned out her lamp”, goes to show that the country isn’t doing well. This song opened me to the idea if Lebanese pride and that Lebanese people would fight for their country in any situation.
4. Yee, Vivian. “Lebanon Will Default on Foreign Debt Payment Amid Deepening Economic Crisis.” Nytimes.com https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/07/world/middleeast/lebanon-debt-financial-crisis.html
This article talks about how Lebanon won’t be able to pay off its debt due to the protests.
The protest is taking a toll on the country. I learned that the rally is being productive and that more pressure on the government is happening. Government instability is a victory for the people; however, it’s going to be directly affecting them. The country might have to potentially use its reserved credits to pay off the debt, which isn’t good because that money is for the people. So now it’s really on the people to decide if they continue to protest or not because it’s directly affecting them. Now, this brings up the question of how the international Lebanese people are helping the situation. Many of them are very educated and have power. So, are they helping the case at home, or did they already give up on Lebanon?
5. Awada, Ghada, et al. “A Call for Curriculum Reform to Combat Refugees Crisis: The Case of Lebanon.” Curriculum Journal, vol. 29, no. 1, Mar. 2018, pp. 43–59. EBSCOhost, DOI:10.1080/09585176.2017.1400450.
This source talks about the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon. This topic is something I completely forgot about, which is essential to why the protest is happening and why so many people left Lebanon. There has been a massive influx of Syrian refugees entering Lebanon. Already Lebanon has a rough history with Syria because of the civil war. The problem with the flow is that the refugees are taking up most of the jobs in the country, and Lebanese people have created a stigma against them. The lack of unemployment is why most of them left the country as well. The government failed to develop a solution to integrate these refugees properly. So now the government failed again in helping Lebanese people and Syrian, which has fuelled more into the protest.
6. Battah, Habib. “A new politics is rising in Lebanon.” aljazeera.com https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/politics-rising-lebanon-191114141631074.html
This article talks about the frustration of the Lebanese people when it comes to the protest.
I learned many things about the protest and Lebanese people as well. One thing that struck me in this article is this quote “We are a war generation, we used to go to school under the bombs. Our kids are learning the best civic education here, they are cleaning the streets, they are recycling, things they never learn in schools”. It’s talking about the gen x and millennials of Lebanon. About how war has always been a part of their lives. I connected to this quote because it made me realize what type of people my parents are; they as well went through wars. Now, as a new generation grows up, they realized that war should be a thing and that peace is needed. Lebanon needs reform.
Librarian visit
I went to Du Boisé library and I got some help from Marie.
I asked her for some help on my topic, she seemed really happy to help. I asked her if there was anything about the Lebanese civil war and so she looked it up on her database. She help me find a book about the war, and I read a bit of it but it I didn’t get any new information that I didn’t know about. So my visit was ok but not super helpful, I should have asked for more help though.
Hassan's page 