Solidarity movements across the region in support of Lebanon have begun winding up their activities following over a month of tenuous peace between Hezbollah and Israel. In Egypt, one of the most successful organizations for the Lebanese abroad, held its last event in Cairo on September 13.
Li Beirut (For Beirut) was one of those movements that turned out to be bigger than even the organizers had imagined.
"It [Li Beirut] was organized one night with a group of friends who thought it would be a nice gesture to have a night of [cultural] events in solidarity with the Lebanese," Mohammed Yousry, one of the group's organizers, said.
Li Beirut was a conglomeration of artists across Egypt and the region who came together toward the end of the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah to give performances and shows aimed at raising money for Lebanon. Artists held exhibitions, concerts were given, T-shirts and bumper stickers were made, and donations were accepted for the cause.
"We did the first night and then people started to ask when we were putting on the next performance or art show ... it inevitably grew into a larger campaign than we could have possibly imaged," Yousry said.
Following the first event Yousry said that it was a snowball effect that gave more artists the willingness to showcase their work for the cause of supporting the Lebanese affected by the war.
"Volunteers helped out to develop the project and it assimilated a lot of people. Very importantly, places gave us space to hold our events without charge. That gave us the opportunity to raise money and not having to worry too much about spending a lot of money out of our own pockets," Yousry said.
The campaign, which saw hundreds of artists come together, raised more than £E45,000 ($7,800) for Lebanon.
Yousry said that the money would be given to a cultural NGO in Lebanon after a list is given to Li Beirut and one is unanimously decided among the organizers.
"It isn't a lot of money but it should help at least one organization get back on its feet following the war."
Back in Beirut, with life returning to normal more than a month after the UN-brokered ceasefire went into place, news of solidarity movements have begun to trickle into the consciousness of most Lebanese.
Although still reeling from Israeli bombings and the destruction of much of the country, Lebanese are welcoming the idea that other Arab nations had supported them throughout the difficult time.
"I like the idea of solidarity movements that gave us support during the war. While I didn't really know much about them during the actual war their presence has given me a newfound appreciation for people that I hadn't thought about during the war," Beatrice Harb, head of a local cultural NGO in Beirut, said.
She added that she even has a bumper sticker from Li Beirut that an Egyptian friend had brought her from Egypt.
Harb thinks that it was an important step for other Arab nations and their people to show solidarity for the Lebanese during the war. Without such groups she thinks it would have been an even more depressing time when the Western world had seemingly abandoned the nation to its fate.
"It makes me happy to know that there were people working for us during the war and the fact that many of those groups have raised money, which will go directly to local groups, it is a really heartwarming feeling to know," Harb said.
Both Yousry and Harb said that what made the solidarity movements across the region so successful was that they were beyond government control and were not seen as something that people had to participate in. They argue that in a region that often sees governments force their citizens to do things, when people act by their own initiative it makes them feel better.
"It was great to work with people who felt the same way as we did and to show our support for a nation and its people in an amicable and friendly way. That will hopefully go a long way in creating new paths for activists across the region," Yousry said.
The question to be answered now is whether groups such as Li Beirut made an impact on the Lebanese people. Harb said that a positive from the war was the fact that Arabs across the region united for a cause in a way that they had not done in a long time.
"I feel that this war, while horrible and unnecessary, did provide a way for Arabs in Morocco, Egypt, and many other Middle Eastern nations to come together and show support for a cause that hasn't been seen in a very long time, if ever," Harb said.
Lebanon support groups wind up, assess their impact
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