• Food and Feast 2008
UNDP PEACE BUILDING PROJECT
 Residents from various sectarian backgrounds and identity groups will become more familiar with the customs and traditions of Lebanese living in other areas, as part of partnership initiative between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a local private sector organization, in close collaboration with national counterparts and civil society organizations.
With common goals of promoting co-existence, preserving Lebanese heritage and enhancing a better understanding of the "other", UNDP is organizing a series of events across the country under the theme Food and Feast (Akl w Eid) 2008 in close collaboration with national counterparts and civil society organizations.
The fifteen events, which will take place in selected areas spanning the country, from Beirut, to Tyre in the South and Ehden in the North, will celebrate the traditions, arts and crafts and food specialties unique to that area.
By using food as a tool or reflection of Lebanese heritage, the Food and Feast Festival 2008 aims to highlight the deepest values of those living in Lebanon today, exposing local identity groups to the different existing historical and cultural identities, heritage sites and diverse food traditions, with the primary aim of bringing to light what it means to be Lebanese.
Launched in April with the Lawz El Zouk event, followed by the Vineyard Lunch held at Massaya's Tanaïl property in the Bekaa valley on Thursday, 1 May 2008, the events aim to nurture an awareness of national heritage and culture, as well as a better understanding of the "other" are catalysts to promoting co-existence, inter-communal exchange and reconciliation in Lebanon. Upcoming events in June are at Damour, in Mount Lebanon and along the coastline in Batroun in the North (see complete list below).
At the Zouk event on April 13 2008, a bus load of ladies from a local NGO in El Mina, Tripoli arrived at the market and took a tour of the old Town, bought some vegetables.
"We are very happy to be here, it is the first time for all of us, and the idea of meeting Lebanese from other areas and visiting places we haven't been to before is an important one," said one of the ladies who works as a school teacher in El Mina.
At the Massaya Vineyard Lunch event, as with all other Food and Feast activities, farmers and producers from the region were invited to sell their food products at the temporarily set up Souk El Tayeb Market. Visitors savoured traditionally made barbecued chicken and beef, kishk and Bekaa style "freekeh", green wheat cooked with lamb, as well as locally favoured yoghurt fatteh on the vineyard grounds.
Mahira Mroue, was one of the Lebanese journalists who boarded a bus provided by UNDP from Beirut to Tannayel this time, as part of the inter-community exchange. Mroue comes from South Lebanon but lives in Beirut and had never visited Taanayel before. When she heard about the event, she welcomed the idea of riding on the bus to explore new parts of Lebanon.
"The project gave us the valuable opportunity to be able to meet people from different communities, to introduce us to the traditions and values of others living in our country as well as taking us back to the old Lebanese life," she explained.
It gave the pictures a different picture than they were used to "a picture of the beautiful Lebanon, not the war and conflict ridden Lebanon, the Lebanon we yearn for and want to see," said Mroue, who produced a Fairuz tape to the driver of the bus, who with the rest of those on board ended up singing Fairuz's ballads that are reminiscent of traditional Lebanon.
As part of the event, visitors were taken on tours of the area including a visit to the Laiterie du Couvent in Tannayel to observe local dairy production and a guided tour of the Arc en ciel Eco-Lodge to explore the lodge's locally constructed mud homes unique to rural Lebanon.
Even though she wears a veil, Mroue stated that she was interested in learning the process of producing wine and arak, opening up "is a good way to learn about the other, to accept and respect one another". At the end of the journey the individuals on the bus shared their contacts. Mroue explained that once they got home they contacted each other to recap what they learned and gained from this exposure.
"I don't know the people here, but I'm happy. They are all Lebanese getting introduced to each other, to other regions, to our traditions and values," Mroue said.
Zeina Ballouz, a 20 year old university student at Universite Saint Espirit de Kaslik (USEK) attended both events at Zouk Mikail and Tanail. She stated that the "Food and Feast Events " is an exceptional tool that brings people together".
According to her, the events exposed the participants on how the Lebanese prepare and consume their food, and allowed them to intertwine with other Lebanese from distant villages and religions.
"It starts with sharing recipes. Each recipe has a story, and each story reflects the traditions and values of the person telling the story. Combining these stories would give us a picture of the Lebanese villages and areas, about the people and their ways of living, sharing and eating…about the different religions and cultural aspects that make up our Lebanon," Ballouz stated.
As in other forthcoming events, transportation will be provided by the organizers to encourage inter-community exchange, a better understanding of Lebanese inter-regional traditions and hence a better understanding of the "other".
Lana Captan Ghandour
Project Manager
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Peace Building Project
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Lebanon
