After the #BeirutBlast, reconstruction was largely left to volunteers/NGOs amid heartwarming community spirit.
But the near-absence of state coordination has led to a fragmented response that in some areas has deepened inequalities & created tensions
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news.trust.org/item/202108040…
But the near-absence of state coordination has led to a fragmented response that in some areas has deepened inequalities & created tensions
1/9
news.trust.org/item/202108040…
Syrian refugee Waad Hariri was happy to have found a community in Beirut after fleeing Syria's Daraa in 2011.
Soon after the blast, her landlord in Beirut's Karantina accused her of taking aid & pushed her to leave.
"We've lost the community we lived in for 10 years," she said
Soon after the blast, her landlord in Beirut's Karantina accused her of taking aid & pushed her to leave.
"We've lost the community we lived in for 10 years," she said
While her children used to play in Karantina's big public park, the family now lives next to a main road on Beirut's eastern edge.
"When we take them there to see their friends, they cry and refuse to come back," Hariri's husband, Raed, told me.
"When we take them there to see their friends, they cry and refuse to come back," Hariri's husband, Raed, told me.
For other Karantina residents, reconstruction has created agitation
Resident Hamza EL Said said an Islamic charity did poor work in Muslim areas while another NGO did good work in Christian parts.
"The other side looks like Paris... this creates tensions," he said
Resident Hamza EL Said said an Islamic charity did poor work in Muslim areas while another NGO did good work in Christian parts.
"The other side looks like Paris... this creates tensions," he said
Karantina saw violence between Christians & Muslims during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war during which many Muslims, including Said, fled.
He says mindsets have vastly changed but the unequal reconstruction "is creating talk in the neighborhood on this regrettable level."
He says mindsets have vastly changed but the unequal reconstruction "is creating talk in the neighborhood on this regrettable level."
The absence of sate-led efforts:
"Means people are left to their own devices & depend on social capital and their network to access aid.
Those who don't have these networks are left behind," according to urban studies professor @mona_harb_
"Means people are left to their own devices & depend on social capital and their network to access aid.
Those who don't have these networks are left behind," according to urban studies professor @mona_harb_
Researchers at @publicworks_lb found that inequalities existed even on the level of a single building, where one sectarian party reconstructs X amount of apartments , another group does others, and those who don't have access are left out.
Meanwhile, common areas are neglected.
Meanwhile, common areas are neglected.
"We observed buildings where some apartments had been completely reconstructed but no one thought to fix the elevators or stairs, making them unusable," said @abirsasso, co-director of Public Works Studio
Beirut's public space issue is thereby reproduced on level of the building
Beirut's public space issue is thereby reproduced on level of the building
Residents of affected areas were not officially represented on a committee overseeing compensation/rebuilding so they created their own & are pushing for inclusive recovery for all
You can watch that story in this video by @megaphone_news & @Legal_Agenda
You can watch that story in this video by @megaphone_news & @Legal_Agenda
https://twitter.com/megaphone_news/status/1421135041724289026?s=20
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