Reine Farah
6:07 PM
Beirut, August 4, 2020, 6:07 PM.
6:07 PM, everything changed.
6:07 PM, The Moment I realized that “home” is not a safe place anymore.
6:07 PM, The Moment I’ve put an end to my toxic relationship… with Lebanon.
I was on a shooting set, 2 floors underground, when suddenly, the air got sucked out, ceilings, doors and furniture got propelled in all directions, and a terrifying growling imposed its dangerousness and left us with a devastating void which dominated for seconds. A devastating chemical blast, now ranked as the 3rd largest urban explosion in history, struck the Lebanese capital, Beirut, pulverizing its port, damaging more than half of the city, and killed more than 200 people in less than 10 seconds. The explosion left its mark in every single Lebanese family. But above all, uncountable and untold psychological traumas have been born that day, “cherrying on top of” non-dried tears of the 90s civil war and uncured wounds of daily modern slavery.
Recently, I came back … after one year in Montreal. I spent 3 weeks in Lebanon, capturing nothing but emotions. Everything has changed in one single year!
My people, my family, maybe myself too. Beirut is different and will never be the same again!
This project is dedicated to every Lebanese expatriate who had no choice but leaving everything behind to search for a better life… specially those still hold their pain and traumas with a joyful smile.
