Sydney archive preserves photos of destroyed Lebanese villages
A Parramatta event is gathering photos of ancestral southern Lebanese villages destroyed by conflict.
In a Parramatta community space, people with southern Lebanese heritage are bringing photos and videos. The photos and videos show their ancestral villages, many now in rubble.
Saber Serhan brought photos from his 2000 trip to Kfar Kila. Saber's father grew vegetables there.
The New York Times found something troubling. About 48 of 60 villages in occupied southern Lebanon had been mostly knocked down.
This included schools, mosques, and businesses. Curator Zeinab Mahfoud is building a digital archive.
She wants to help displaced people reconnect to their land and memories. Amani Haydar brought a photo of her uncle.
He stood in front of his shop in Aitaroun, now lost. For her, keeping these photos honors generations of memories and keeps hope alive.
- 48 out of 60
- Villages levelled
- Kfar Kila
- Ancestral village
- 2000
- Photo year
- Aitaroun
- Village featured
Why it mattersPhotographs become the only record of communities destroyed by conflict. They help preserve heritage and identity for families separated from their ancestral homes.
AustraliaSydney's Lebanese-Australian community is creating a digital record of heritage at risk, helping the next generation stay connected to their roots.
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