Archive preserves southern Lebanese villages lost to conflict
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People with southern Lebanese heritage in Sydney, Australia, gathered in Parramatta to share photographs and videos of their ancestral villages in southern Lebanon.
Many of these villages have been damaged or destroyed in recent conflict between the Israeli Defense Forces and the militant group Hezbollah. The event, called The Villages We Carry, was part of a City of Parramatta initiative to create a digital archive preserving memories of these communities.
Zeinab Mahfoud, the curator of the archive, explained that migration from southern Lebanon has caused a loss of connection to family and land. She hopes the photographs will help people reconnect with their heritage. Participants like Saber Serhan and Amani Haydar brought photos capturing life in their villages before the recent damage, preserving images of family members, businesses, and landscapes now largely in ruins.
The New York Times recently determined that 48 of 60 villages in the occupied areas of southern Lebanon had been mostly levelled, including vital infrastructure. Participants expressed grief over the loss of their homes and loved ones, but also a desire to keep the memories of these places alive for future generations. Amani Haydar stated that preserving these memories is an important part of the community’s healing process and expressed hope for rebuilding the villages one day.
