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MES ENTENTES

The return of displaced persons in their cities and villages of origin in Mount Lebanon

Strengthening of the Lebanese Civilian Community Project

Photos by Samer Mohdad and Christian Catafago

Texts by Insaf Al Awar and Carole Corm

The MES ENTENTES project sets itself within the framework of AFKAR, a project led by the European Community and overseen by the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) in collaboration with the European Delegation in Lebanon. The project is carried through by the Arab Images Foundation (AIF)® and aims at analyzing the return of displaced people in the region of Mount Lebanon, more specifically in the cazas of the Chouf, Aley, Baabda and Metn.

The project

Due to the multi sectarian composition of its inhabitants, Mount Lebanon has historically been a republic of contested territories. At the end of the civil war (1975-1990), the Lebanese government created a Ministry for Displaced People to encourage exiles to return to their villages through financial assistance. What has become the fate of these peoples since the end of the war and months after the retreat of the Syrian army from Lebanon?

The Arab Images Foundation®, with a team drawn from a spectrum of Lebanon’s diverse communitarian mix has taken upon itself to highlight the frustrations of Mount Lebanon’s displaced people at a time when their story has all been but forgotten.ً

The results of this work have been made accessible to all in the form of a compact book. This book is the first of its kind: far from being a political essay or an academic report, MES ENTENTES is foremost a book of accounts given by photographers and writers. Through the contributions of the latter, the Arab Images Foundation® hopes to raise public awareness on a problem which has still not been resolved and is endemic of the country's ills.

The authors

Samer Mohdad (photographer):

One of the pioneers of art photography in Lebanon, Samer Mohdad is also the founder of the Arab Images Foundation®. As a native of Mount Lebanon he has inside out knowledge of the mountain and manages to translate its character through the mundane activities of villagers. Author of several photography books on the Middle East, Samer Mohdad is the initiator of the MES ENTENTES project.

Christian Catafago (photographer):

Originator of a recent photographic publication ''Independence 05'' on the March 2005 protests in Lebanon, Christian Catafago has been noticed by The Washington Post. His approach consists in highlighting the traces left on the urban landscape. Educated as an architect, Christian Catafago has been increasingly involved in photography and documentary making.

Insaf Al Awar (writer):

In 1987, in the final phase of Lebanon's civil war, Insaf Al Awar organized a literary salon with intellectuals from all parties (Les Rencontres Littéraires), aiming to maintain a crucial dialogue between the different communities and honoring those who made the choice of staying on. Author of several poetry books in Arabic, Insaf Al Awar's vision, as a woman writer and as a resident of the Metn is a precious gift.

Carole Corm (journalist):

The youngest participant, Carole Corm is part of the generation that grew up outside of Lebanon. Her journalistic approach and her experience in prominent American newspapers bring an original perspective tinted with a refreshing sense of humor.

Around the book

A short film by Elie Khalifé will be distributed as a DVD with the book to give a more direct voice to the inhabitants of Mount Lebanon. Elie Khalifé is the author of several films focused on the hardships of ordinary people in Lebanon.

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