The Road To Rebirth

Lebanon is still considered the capital of the Armenian Diaspora, ever since refugees first began a community there at the turn of the twentieth century. My nene (grandma) ended up in Lebanon in the mid-late 1940s. She had her children between Baghdad and Beirut, where my baba (dad), the youngest of four, was born in the early 50s.

I travelled to the land of my father’s upbringing for the first time in 2019. Coincidentally my baba’s cousin Edgard was also visiting, after an absence of over 30 years. As we walked down the streets, he revealed to me what life was like during the Civil War and reflected on how it has since changed. I also travelled to the Haigazian Library and Centre for Handicapped Armenians in Lebanon (CAHL) in Bourj Hammoud where I met many women who opened up to me about their families’ experiences, and their reflections on Armenians today.