Local Journalism in the Public Interest
New Year’s Omen
Private security guards stand in front of a barricaded branch of BLOM Bank. Beirut, Lebanon. July 2020. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
While We Try to Survive Its Last Scheme, Lebanon's Banking Sector Plots Another Grand Theft
Children study in the rubble of their school that was destroyed by the violent war in the city of Taiz, Yemen. December 27, 2018. (Akram Alrasny/Shutterstock)
Forgotten War, Abandoned Refugees: The Plight of Yemenis in Lebanon
Beirut’s sea wall at the height of Lebanon’s “Golden Age.” May 1, 1965. (Indiana University Archives, Charles Cushman Collection)
Paradise Lost? The Myth of Lebanon’s Golden Era
The Lebanese Red Cross reports six people were killed and dozens injured in the hours-long street battles. One of the victims, Mariam Farhat, a mother of five children, was killed by a stray bullet to her head inside her home. Another victim, 32-year-old Ali Ibrahim, who worked at a local gym and fitness diner, was killed while delivering food to a customer nearby. He was described as “an innocent soul” whose “smile never hides.” Tayouneh, Lebanon. October 14, 2021. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
Obstruction of Justice Turns Deadly
Health care workers take a break outside the Rafik Hariri University Hospital. Beirut, Lebanon. April 17, 2020. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
Costly and Unsustainable: Where Lebanon’s COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Went Wrong
Protesters engage in a discussion during the early days of the October uprising in "The Egg," an iconic abandoned opera house in central Beirut. October 24, 2019. (Gloria Tawk/Fawra)
Lebanon’s Global Conundrum: Which Strategy for Political Change?
A protester wears a mask depicting central bank governor Riad Salameh while getting a “haircut” in front of the Central Bank. November 27, 2019. (Rita Kabalan/The Public Source)
Through a Glass, Darkly: How Lebanon’s Central Bank Wants You to See the Financial Collapse
Nabaa’s Changing Face: Repurposing and Refurbishing in Times of Crisis
Composite of images taken at a protest organized by the Beirut Port Explosion Victims' Families and the Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities to demand justice for people killed and injured by the blast. Sylvana Lakkis, president of the union, is the center of the image. Photos taken on July 4, 2021, by Hussein Baydoun. (The Public Source)
"And What Would You Like Me to Do About It?”: How the Lebanese Government Disabled Hundreds of People — and Then Left Them to Pay for Its Crime
Photo by Marwan Tahtah
The Day That Never Ended: One Year Into August 4
Composite of an elderly resident of Mar Mikhael standing on her balcony, construction workers, and a sign that reads, "We are Staying." Beirut, Lebanon. Photos taken between August and October 2020 by Marwan Tahtah. (The Public Source)
What Does Justice Look Like for the Affected Neighborhoods and Their Residents?
Sudanese and other African refugees protest at UNHCR headquarters in Lebanon. Jnah, Beirut. December 2019. (Photo courtesy of the Anti-Racism Movement).
Slipping Through Cracks: The “Forgotten Refugees” in Lebanon
Anonymized missing person flyer that circulated online in the aftermath of the explosion. The man was found alive and well. August 2020. (The Public Source)
Life and Death on the Margins: On the Double Trauma of Migrant Workers
The Dikkenneh Co-op, Basta al-Tahta. Beirut, Lebanon. April 16, 2021. (Rita Kabalan/The Public Source)
"We All Benefit:" On the Little Dikkeneh Co-op That Could
Members of the Palestinian Youth Movement paint a mural in San Francisco asserting their right of return ahead of Nakba Day. It reads "We Will Return" in English and Arabic. California, USA. May 17, 2021. (Source: Chris Gazaleh)
“Never Give Up”: On the Inevitability of a Free Palestine
Image overlay of a shopper carrying grocery bags over a deserted city street at night. Beirut, Lebanon. 2021. (The Public Source)
“We Didn’t Even Try”: How Lebanon's Chaotic COVID-19 Strategy Let Thousands Die
Al-Khiam Prison, turned into a memorial by Hezbollah, was bombed by Israel during its 2006 war on Lebanon. Khiam, Nabatieh. 2006. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
Committed to Liberation: Remembering Soha Bechara’s Clandestine Mission
“Lebanon First:” On the Politics of Neutrality on a Moving Train
Kuffiyeh-clad women wave the Palestinian flag, raise their fists, and chant during a march from the Mar Elias refugee camp to downtown Beirut. Riad el-Solh Square, Lebanon. May 18, 2021 (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
From the Refugee Camps to the Border: Rallies Held in Solidarity with Palestinians
Stencil on a wall by artist collective Bel Mersad. It reads, "Hasten to the dreams of workers. For a foreseeable future, happy life, job security, freedom of choice." Beirut, Lebanon. May 1, 2020. (Bel Mersad)
On Today's Alternative Organizing to Reclaim and Politicize the Labor Struggle
Two children cross into the playground near the Mar Elias camp through an opening in the iron fence. There are no public spaces in the camp, and even the playground, which used to be an outlet for the residents, has become distant since its enclosure with a fence. Mar Elias camp, Beirut. April 11, 2021. (Mohamad Cheblak/The Public Source)
Palestinian Camps in Lebanon: Reflecting on Patterns of Marginalization, Isolation and Control
An illustration of blankets and cloth hanging from balconies with ABAAD’s hotline for domestic abuse written on them, in solidarity with women imprisoned in their homes during lockdown. Source: Noora’s Story in “Where to, Marie?” p. 33. Artist: Joan Baz.
From the Archival to the Fictional: How "Where to, Marie?" Revives Local Feminist History
The electricity sector has become an embodiment of corruption in Lebanon. Électricité du Liban, Mar Mikhael, Beirut. November 10, 2019. (Hoda Kerbage/The Public Source)
Anti-Corruption: A Neoliberal Strategy to Breathe New Life into Lebanon's Spoils-Sharing System?
Three protesters hold a sign in Riad al-Solh Square that reads, “burn their mansions." Beirut. Lebanon. October 18, 2019. (Mohamad Cheblak/The Public Source)
Workers' Solidarity, Redistribution, and Universal Social Protections... Slogans of a Struggle Against Engineered Losses
Map of Nour Square, at approximately 9:50 p.m. on the evening of January 27, when security forces fired live ammunition at protesters, showing locations of officers, television crew, a live streamer, and where eyewitnesses believe Omar was shot.
The Killing of Omar Tayba: A Visual Investigation of a Protester’s Death in Tripoli
Young women in factory uniforms hold a banner that reads, “our identity is to die for our bread.” Date unknown. Source: Al-Anwar newspaper.
The Power of Withholding Labor: The General Strike as Cultural Work
A migrant worker picks okra from the planters along the Burjawi staircase in Nasra, Achrafieh. Beirut, Lebanon. 2018. (Dana Mazraani/Beirut Urban Lab)
Why Socio-Spatial Practices Matter to Urban Recovery
A volunteer health worker disinfects a building in Ras Beirut. Beirut, Lebanon. March 20, 2020. (Hussein Baydoun/The Public Source)
Too Little Too Late: A Timeline of Lebanon’s Response to COVID-19
Brutal Interruption: Life in the Aftermath of Disaster
The neighborhood of Mar Mikhael two weeks after the Beirut Port blast. Beirut, Lebanon. August 17, 2020. (The Public Source)
Beirut’s Blasted Neighborhoods: Between Recovery Efforts and Real Estate Interests
An old building stands before the ruins, aid and construction workers nearby. Karantina, Beirut. September 23, 2020. (Rita Kabalan/The Public Source)
Post-Disaster Karantina: Towards a People-Centered Heritage-Led Recovery
A rescue worker stands by the Beirut Port grain silo during a search operation. Beirut, Lebanon. August 6, 2020. (Zein Jaafar/The Public Source)