Join us for EMBCA’s "Lebanese Independence Day: Lebanon and its Rich Cultural Heritage" Panel Discussion Webinar on Sunday, November 21 at 2 P.M. EST/ 9 P.M.Athens/ Beirut EEST. The Anniversary Commemoration of Lebanon’s Independence (November 22) as well as the 101 Anniversary of its liberation from Ottoman rule will be Introduced by Lou Katsos EMBCA’s President and AHEPA National Hellenic Cultural Commission Chairman and Co-Moderated by him and Author/Artist/Cultural Commentator Joanne (Keratsos) Sayad. The distinguished panel will include Author/ Journalist Carole Dagher presenting on “Lebanese Greek (and Eastern) Orthodox: At the forefront of the citizen state.”; Surscock Palace and Archives Owner Roderick Cochrane on “Cultural Resistance to preserve Lebanon’s identity.”; Anne-Marie Affiche the Director of General Council of Museum, Ministry of Culture on “The National Museum of Beirut:100 Years of Dedication” ; Author/Owner of Maison Tarazi Camille Tarazi on “Maison Tarazi: Nearly 160 Years of Challenges”; and Author/Architect/Professor and Founder of Beirut Heritage Initiative Fadlallah Dagher on “The Beirut Heritage preservation, an opportunity for the urban development of the city.”. All are actively making very important and vital contributions to save the heritage of Lebanon and its Capitol of Beirut and hence preserving the fabric of the Hellenic Orthodox community, it's culture and history throughout the Levant.
The panel besides discussing Lebanese Independence among other things will be connecting the dots from history and contemporary current context of how the fabric of Beirut is closely tied to the Greek Orthodox community and how this neighborhood in the heart of Beirut is in danger since it's destruction due to the August 4, 2020 massive blast. The audience will learn about what is being done to safeguard it along with the steps of reconstruction to preserve this patrimony which is predominately Greek Orthodox. Last year marked the 100 Year of the Lebanese Independence from Ottoman rule. This anniversary as well as Lebanese Independence Day passing eerily uncelebrated. In fact there was barely a blur regarding commemoration. Instead it was a compilation of commiserating in the newspapers of how on the eve Lebanon’s Centennial it was of a failed state. Considering an almost complete currency collapse, protests, political pandemonium set amidst a worldwide pandemic and local lockdowns, that year culminated in a crescendo with an apocalyptic Beirut Blast that destroyed swathes of Beirut. The hardest hit destroyed neighborhoods, were the port, Mar Mikael, Gemmayze, St Nicholas quarter and Achrafieh, the urban crux of Beirut and the heart of the Greek Orthodox neighborhoods and community. We will not forget nor have forgotten Lebanon’s great and rich cultural heritage and why EMBCA has chosen it to be the first in a series of panel discussions on the Hellenic Diaspora nation by nation around the world.