Najla Chami and Serge Banna in front of their restaurant at 30 rue Fortia in Marseille. Photo provided by Mouné.
Faced with a regional war and the reignition of Israeli attacks on Lebanese soil, members of the Lebanese diaspora in Marseille are mobilizing to help civilians in Lebanon affected by the Israeli offensive.
A fundraising event will take place on Sunday, March 15, at Mouné, located at 30 rue Fortia in the city’s 1st arrondissement, to support NGOs assisting vulnerable populations.
The solidarity market will feature Lebanese pastries and appetizers, as well as art, clothing, wine, dishware, ceramics and books. All proceeds will go to the NGOs Berrad al-Hay and Buzuruna Juzuruna.
Serge Banna and Najla Chami, founders of Mouné and organizers of the event, said they chose the two NGOs because of their work in food aid.
“We have seen the tremendous work Berrad al-Hay has done to feed those in need, especially now as it supports displaced people,” they said. “Buzuruna Juzuruna is particularly focused on planting seeds in response to the destruction of farmland by Israeli attacks and is also running a campaign to provide meals to displaced families.”
Many people have already come forward to support the event, including Lebanese bakeries offering to send kaak from Paris, as well as Lebanese artists and authors living in Marseille, such as Carla Aouad and Krystel Abimeri, who will also offer their works for sale, and even local publishing houses like Alifbata.
For this diaspora, which is experiencing yet another conflict from afar, the situation is becoming increasingly unbearable. "We are suffering greatly from this situation. Because we have lived through several wars in the past, especially wars with Israel. We were in Lebanon in 2006. We know what’s happening," Chami explains. "To experience it from a distance after having already lived it is a true nightmare. We feel guilty for not being there while our families and loved ones must endure this again. We have a feeling of total helplessness."
On March 5, just days after the start of the Israeli offensive that followed Hezbollah rocket fire, the cultural bistro Asabiya organized a pay-what-you-wish mezze in support of civil society activists, with all proceeds going to the NGOs Ahla Fawda and Nation Station.
The event was seen as both moral and financial support by organizers, who also pointed out on social media that these organizations have set up fundraisers on their Instagram pages, like most Lebanese NGOs currently working in dire emergency conditions.
Paul Khouri, founder of Asabiya, reflected on what motivated him to act so quickly: "In my view, it is vital to provide moral and financial support to Lebanese civil society actors, while also raising awareness in France."
Khouri, who regularly organizes support events for Lebanon at his cultural bistro on Cours Julien, adds, "The idea is to share the needs and suffering to humanize the conflict, which is rarely the case in major French media."
French television channel TF1 highlighted the mobilization in Marseille in a report broadcast during its 8 p.m. newscast on March 5. In the segment, Khouri said his brother and grandmother are currently in Lebanon, a reminder of how members of the diaspora watch from afar as bombings strike their homeland.
For Chami, such initiatives go beyond material aid.
“It is a way to preserve our mental health,” she said. “Otherwise, we would go crazy. Taking action is the only way we can cope.”
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