11 April 2008
BEIRUT: "Our unity is our salvation," organizers of a new civil society effort said on Thursday at a news conference to launch the movement and raise awareness about the problems it hopes to address. The organizers announced that a coalition of civil society organizations will hold a march on April 13 to commemorate the start of the Lebanese Civil War.
The march will begin at 3:00 p.m. at Mar Mikhael, proceeding through the Tayyouneh roundabout and Bechara al- Khoury square toward downtown Beirut. Various activities will be held during the march, including the holding of a moment of silence "in remembrance of those kidnapped or gone missing during the war" and the planting of an olive tree in what the grouping labels "the garden of forgiveness."
During a televised debate, journalists and pundits will tackle the suffering of citizens during war and the actions of anonymous wartime heroes and debate the prospects of peace, hope and reconciliation.
The purpose of the march is to "encourage, through the participation of a maximum number of citizens, the rejection of the language of war by remembering the consequences of war."
Melhem Khalaf, head of the participating NGO Offre Joie, warned against division in Lebanon and urged citizens to "not let them [political leaders] transform you into firewood."
A volunteer member of the civil society coalition, Makram Ouaiss, told The Daily Star that these efforts were aimed at "sending a message of hope and breaking down the barriers - political and sectarian - that exist in Lebanon."
Addressing the fragmentation of civil society in Lebanon, Ouaiss stressed that "this is a cornerstone for civil society - and Lebanese citizens - to come together ... We have been planning this march for several months now, and hope that a large number of people turn out to make this statement."
"Our hope is that a large turnout will catalyze this effort after the April 13 march ... Again, we are hopeful that the Lebanese can come together in resolving the divisions that plagued us during the war and are reemerging today," concluded Ouaiss.
The 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War wrecked havoc on the state of Lebanon and its population, with Lebanese fighting among themselves and with others in a political, communal, and geostrategic melee that drew Israeli, Syrian, American and European forces into the conflict.
Over 150,000 Lebanese lost their lives to the conflict, which also resulted in 400,000 injuries and the internal and external displacement of a still undetermined number of Lebanese civilians, many of whom remain away from their homes because of a still-uncertain political situation.
The organizers of the march said that all those who are interested in participating are kindly asked to be at the Mar Mikhael roundabout by 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 13.
Copyright The Daily Star 2008.
