The Republic of Cement
Deir Dourit
Wherever we go buildings are almost always left unfinished. The cement is pouring onto the mountain. The constructions are depressing and suffocating because of their overwhelming greyness . They remain skeleton buildings with no coverings and no tenants.
People complain they didn't receive enough money to finish their houses properly: their houses are too small for their large families, the roof hasn't been built, a floor is missing...
Brih
Just outside of Beiteddine, a rusted sign announces the reconstruction of the village of Brih. We're standing in the middle of a ghost town. Next to us is a lamp post and although it's almost midday the light is on. Things are left as they were, as if people left in a hurry. Math homework written in French is scattered on the dirt-road.
It's hard to imagine that neighbors could have killed each other in such a small village. Walking from house to house, we meet a Druze couple living in a shattered house once owned by a Christian family. The pots of flowers placed on the balcony give the house a welcoming feel despite its severe decrepitude. Walking on, we notice a small white donkey trapped on a narrow terrace of dried up grass. "Operation save the Cypriot donkey" is initiated. We bring the donkey to a greener patch of grass in the shade and then imagine the owners' surprise when they will discover he has moved. Passing through the house's porch, it looks like someone emptied his suitcase on the doorstep. In the mess are the following items:
- French school books
- baby clothes
- a woman's jacket with a leopard motif and shoulder pads
- plastic toys
- dirty paper tissues
- rotting food
- a small chair
- a miniature red car
Higher up on the village square the inhabitants explain why there has been no reconciliation in Brih. It all revolves around a community center for the Druze which was built on top of the former church. The Christians refuse to come back until the community center is moved somewhere else. It seems like a simple matter to resolve but of course, it isn't, we're in the republic of contested territories.
A Ray of Light
Jisr al Qadi (the Judge's Bridge)
It might be a weekday but several families are eating and swimming in the river. The images are reminiscent of a 1920s open air restaurant: the swimming costumes, the seated couples, the narghile . The river is crystal clear and you can even see the fish. Were it not for the usual scattered trash the spot would be perfect.
Restaurant "La Rivière du, The valley of Rechmaya near the "River of Paradise'' restaurant
All is peaceful on the road to the Christian stronghold of Deir al Qamar in the Chouf region. Nothing would suggest that the road was used during the war as an exit route for Christians fleeing by foot from enemy attacks.
Many villagers returned to the region after receiving government grants to rebuild their homes. All the while many empty buildings still scatter the landscape. Perhaps some villagers built bigger houses than they could actually afford and consequently couldn't complete the work. |
