Video: Nahr al-Bared "Two Years Under Siege"
a-films, Electronic Lebanon, 25 June 2009
Two years after it was destroyed in the wake of fighting between the Lebanese army and a militant group, the fate of the Palestinian refugee camp, Nahr al-Bared remains unclear. Reconstruction of the official camp may start soon, but so far this has been delayed as the Lebanese army keeps a tight grip on the camp. Several checkpoints, barbed wire and military posts cut Nahr al-Bared off from its surroundings, making it difficult for the camp's residents and visitors to come and go as they wish.
Nahr al-Bared refugee camp used to be a thriving marketplace in the northern Lebanese region of Akkar; about half of the consumers were Lebanese. After it declared victory of the Fatah al-Islam militant group, the Lebanese army held complete control over the camp. Homes and businesses were looted, smashed and burnt. The camp's once flourishing economy was physically eliminated.
Today, about half the camp's population has returned to an area adjacent to the camp. Hundreds of businesses have re-opened, but economic recovery is severely hampered by the tight siege imposed by the Lebanese army. Some camp residents have come to believe that the war's actual target wasn't Fatah al-Islam, but Nahr al-Bared's economic life.
In this 10-minute film, the co-owner of an ice cream factory, the president of the local traders committee and the imam of the al-Quds Mosque, all Palestinian refugees, speak about the siege and its economic consequences.
a-films is an anarchist film collective currently focusing its work on the destroyed Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon. Through workshops, the group aims to promote film-making as a tool for political struggles. The above video is available for downloading in high quality and translated into multiple languages at the a-films website.
