Public Gatherings: “Ground to Dust” Exhibition | Gathering 5: Conversation about Environmental Justice with the “Association of Environmental Activists in Koura”

Introduction on land policies and environmental justice by the Public Works Studio team, followed by presentations by Fifi Kallab and Fares Nassif.

This event will begin with a half-hour tour of the exhibition led by members of Public Works Studio.

The towns of Chekka and Koura today have become prime examples of what public policies in Lebanon generate.

In the memory of  residents “Green Koura” sat atop an abundance of groundwater, stretched along a seafront punctuated with fishing ports and salt basins. The transformation of the coastal and inland towns into cement factories, companies, and quarries brought about devastating social, economic, environmental, and health effects.

This conversation seeks to expand these struggles beyond the Koura, in order to render more visible the disastrous effects of land policies on all forms of life.

This will be the last of 5 gatherings that Public Works Studio conducted throughout the duration of the exhibition, the first of which was a screening of Ghassan Halwani’s film “They Only See Land in Square Meters”, held on January 26. The 2nd gathering, held on February 23, was a panel discussion entitled “Mapping State-Owned Land against Privatization?” with the participation of Petra Samaha and Ali Noureddeen. The 3rd gathering, held on March 9, was a screening of Maher Abi Samra’s film “A Maid for Each”. And the 4th, held on March 23, was a panel discussion entitled “Homelessness in the Wake of the Disaster” with the participation of Hamza Al Said (Committee of residents affected by the Beirut blast), Soha Mneimneh (Urban Lab), a representative of the Ruwwad Association, and Tarek Zeiden (Helem).

This event will be conducted in Arabic at Beirut Art Center. Limited seating on a first come first seated basis. Masks are mandatory.