Adonis Diaries

“We want to know” site on Lebanon civil war? It is never too late

More than 100 interviews later, the eye-witness accounts of people and families who suffered deaths, losses, disappearances, and handicapped cases during the long civil war of Lebanon (17 years), and conducted by 44 high-school student selected from 14 schools in Lebanon, are now available to pursue on www.badnanaaref.org (We want to know).

Under the title “On generations of civil war diaries” the program was administered by Carmen Abu Jaoudeh (coordinator of the center for justice), and Maria Sanchez (EU representative in Lebanon).Maria Sanchez said: “Ignoring the past leads to committing the same mistakes in the future…”

Siege Mental Attitudes: Sample of Lebanon Civil War Account

Many Lebanese immigrated during the civil war.  They did not experience the siege mentality or the horrors or psychological scars inherited by those who had to submit to these indignities and humiliations.  Since 1991, there are new generations that don’t know much about the civil war or don’t care:  They simply don’t read even the abridged descriptions.  What they know is mainly hearsay and from biased family and peer-pressure sources.  Basically, only documentary films, telling eye-witness stories, may effectively convey impressions and feeling.

This piece  is a brief translation from Arabic of a chapter in “Ain Wardeh” by Jabbour Douweihy.

Marguerite, the Austrian wife of Joujou, had no control over her body each time she hears the whistling of a missile or a rocket. She hysterically and silently runs and opens the main door and steps outside with a pillow and then re-enters and keeps the same wandering habit through the staircases and outside. She then would sit on the upper stair and cry her eyes out.

In the beginning, Marguerite would freeze like a cat surrounded by drummers.  At the start of the civil war, Marguerite wanted to have an idea of “What’s going on” and pointedly asked sensitive and targeted questions. Each answer generated more questions that finally baffled those who were supposed “to know it all in the Lebanese family”.

Marguerite was judged to be very naïve to comprehend this ultra complex situation.  For example, when the militias started summarily executing drivers on confessional grounds, Marguerite would ask “How can a militia know the religion of the driver?” The answer could be: “Because religious affiliation is mentioned in the ID”.  Then, “And if the driver is not carrying an ID?”. The reply could be “They know from his name”. The follow-up questions is:  “Is the name Rida (a member in the family) Moslem or Christian?”.  “The militias know from his face or his slang or his pronunciation” and on and on.

Joujou has imposed himself as the experienced worrier who never participated effectively on any front lines. He claims to know the type and caliber of every canon. When he hears a 155 mm bombs he exclaims “Those bastards. This is a field gun. The 155 mm should not be targeting civilian neighborhoods” Or he would say “This is a Hawn 80 mm caliber.  It is totally useless and a relics of the short civil war of 1958″

Joujou tries to locate the coordinates of the gunners with the help of maps in his “war room”, only to realize that those guns are movable on trucks.  Joujou attempted once to drive a Panhard carrier and injured 5 people when the gun got activated by mistakes.  When the phone lines go dead or disrupted, Joujou would volunteer his intelligence that the communication “central” has been targeted.  At the start of the civil war, Joujou refused to believe the news on the radio saying: “Those announcers behind their desks are fabricating imaginary events”

The whole family is hooked to the transistor (radio) for the routine news and emergency flash news. When the news warns of the imminence of an all-out attack then the daily routines of every member in the family is put on hold and two candles are lighted and people barely move so that their vast shadows would not scare off the others.

The worst news was when the radio announced a cease-fire with precise date and time. Everybody learned not to  believe that this deal would remain for any length of time: snipers were their worst nightmares.  Joujou would then carry the radio when everyone is asleep and mechanically locate “Monte Carlo” and “Voice of Cairo” and “The BBC” on the ground that these airwaves were unbiased and might bring confirmation.

In the morning, Nouhad, the tiny spinster aunt, would fetch the radio because she was not appeased with the many shelling during the night.  If anyone tried to change channels then she would shout “This is not the time for chatting”.  By the by, as events escalated and everyone realized that this civil war is for the duration then Joujou declared “The US Administration is not wiling to put an end to the war; it is waiting for critical political changes to take place before the Administration decides on a policy”

Nouhad started to persist commenting on the news, especially if not to her biased stand, and nobody could hear the news anymore.  If the piece of news was not to Nouhad’s liking she would interject “Lier!”  Slowly but surely the radio was put to rest and went into desuetude.  The cook woman used the radio in the kitchen to listen to music.

Note:  You may access many of my post in the category “Eye-witness account”