The bus from Ain al-Remmaneh riddled with bullets, following an attack by Christian militiamen that marked the beginning of the Lebanese civil war on April 13, 1975. (Credit: AFP)
This Sunday, April 13, Lebanon commemorates the 50th anniversary of the civil war, as it is still recovering from a devastating 13-month war against Israel. Numerous events are scheduled over the weekend, organized by civil society, academic circles, and the Ministry of Culture. Here is a non-exhaustive list of these events:
From the university and civil society side
The American University of Beirut is hosting round tables and an exhibition on war memory and testimonies, titled "50 Years of Amnesia," starting April 14, questioning Lebanon's relationship with the history of the war. In the film sector, the film festival 'Screens of the South' (from April 11 to 19) commemorates April 13, 1975, through the screening of the film Green Line by Sylvie Ballyot, an autopsy of the conflict through the eyes of a woman encountering former militiamen to confront and question them about their actions. The documentation and research center UMAM is organizing Sunday the exhibition "50 Years of Déjà-Vu" with Lebanese artists like Lamia Joreige or Alfred Tarazi, to answer the question "How to archive what is not yet finished?" Finally, at the Beit Beirut museum, a series of events is held from noon to midnight on Sunday, such as a walking tour of the demarcation line that divided Beirut in two during the civil war, a public discussion on how the civil war persists, and artistic performances. Additionally, on social media, the hashtag #تنذكر_وما_تنعاد ("remember to avoid repetition") accompanies these days the announcement of other initiatives.
From the media and state side
Media outlets like L’Orient-Le Jour and An-Nahar honor the date by delving into their archives and organizing public debates. L'Orient-Le Jour is organizing a round table on Saturday at the Sursock Museum on the question "Have we finished with the wars of others?" with the historian Dima de Clerck and journalist Albert Kostanian in attendance. In collaboration with An-Nahar and L’Orient-Le Jour, the Ministry of Culture is organizing the photo exhibition "Khamsoun fi khamsin" on Friday, with Minister Ghassan Salameh and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam present, as well as two panels of discussions on the themes "facing the past" and "what has changed since the beginning of the civil war," with participation from civil society members.
"The ministry is organizing this initiative to support a collective memory effort, necessary to learn from the past, turn the page on conflicts, and finally seize the opportunity to rebuild the country," said Yasmine Helou, adviser to the Minister of Culture. "The event is part of a clear approach: not to revive wounds, but to prevent them from recurring."
Besides this event, despite the number of initiatives organized in the country, no others have been set up by the state. Contacted, relatives of President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, as well as the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri said that none of the three leaders were at the head of organizing a commemorative event. The Lebanese state generally does not commemorate the anniversary of the civil war, and the conflict is still not taught in school textbooks, while there is still no consensus 50 years later on the reasons for its outbreak, nor a unified narrative. This issue is regularly raised by researchers and intellectuals.
From the political parties side
On the political side, the Kataeb party, under its slogan "Our history is resistance. Our cause is Lebanon," announced its commemoration event on Saturday of "the birth of Lebanese resistance." The National Bloc is also organizing a seminar on Friday titled "Is the civil war finally over?" with academics at the Sursock Museum. No other political party had, at the time of publication, announced a commemoration.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.