DUBAI: One year after the explosion at the port in Beirut, there are still no answers, and there has been no accountability over who was responsible.
To demand justice, TV channel MTV Lebanon, in partnership with regional advertising agency TBWA\RAAD has launched the “#WeAreUnbreakable” campaign, which uses art to highlight the victims of the blast.
“One year has passed since the tragic, inexcusable blast broke families, lives, a city’s capital, and an entire nation … One year already, and the parents of the victims along with the surviving Lebanese people, ourselves included, still firmly believe that justice will remain unbreakable,” Walid Kanaan, chief creative officer at TBWA\RAAD, told Arab News.
The art form used is shattered glass, to symbolize how the blast shattered the country and its people — but to also say that in reality they remain unbreakable through their strength and determination.
“We came up with this initiative to reveal to the world that Lebanese people remain ‘unbreakable’ when it comes to their strong will and determination in uncovering the truth, which they will never let go of,” added Kanaan.
The agency collaborated with art historian Laurent Marthaler and Swiss shattered glass artist Simon Berger, who flew to Lebanon to be part of the campaign.
Berger visited the explosion site and several of the victims’ families to pay his condolences and find out more about the stories behind the faces he was bringing to life.
His technique involved using a hammer on sheets of glass recycled from the explosion to create portraits of the victims.
“I am delighted to have visited Lebanon for the first time, a beautiful city filled with good and genuine people,” Berger said in a statement.
“Visiting the explosion site, meeting the families of the victims, hearing their stories, and sharing their pain was a very emotional experience for me — one that will remain in memory for life. I truly hope that my art will contribute to bringing justice to the victims, their families and the people of Lebanon because they deserve it,” he added.
The portraits he created were presented on the popular TV show “Sar el Waaet,” hosted by journalist Marcel Ghanem, during a special episode aired live from the site of the explosion on Aug. 4.
The portraits were then exhibited at Beit Beirut, or the “Yellow House,” a historic landmark that celebrates the history of the capital, to be part of the museum’s permanent collection, as a constant reminder of the demand for justice.
“For an entire year, MTV Lebanon has been trying to shed light on the unknown, to intimidate politicians and question judges. On the occasion of the first commemoration of a day that has forever changed the lives of the Lebanese people, we decided to call for the truth in our own special way — to state boldly and clearly that no matter what breaks, we refuse to let go of the truth,” said Habib Ghobril, general manager at MTV Lebanon, in a statement.
“We will continue to pursue justice for the victims. Lebanon and its people are unbreakable.”
