Let Me Tell You What Happened

Let Me Tell You What Happened is a platform that combines various narratives dating anytime from 1975 to 1990, in Lebanon, in the hopes of shedding light on the real horrors of war that we don’t often think of or simply forget. It is a platform open to those who want to share their experience but also to creatives who wish to illustrate these experiences.

In order to go forward, you need to be aware and acknowledge your the past. This disconnection that the post-Lebanese Civil War generation has from its very recent, bloody past is unhealthy and has severe consequences. Because at the end of the day, civilians are the first victims of war.

Five stories were visually developed for the project, during the short time I had. Each story has a different visual direction from the other. The whole idea was to imagine what different designers would do if given a story. 

This project was a lengthily process: four months of research to write a paper, three months of interviewing, and finally four months of production.

It was important for me to start the interaction out in the streets, so that the platform, and consequently the stories, became accessible to everybody

Aliya was in the car with friends, coming home from a night. They were pulled over by an illegal checkpoint. Two unidentified, armed men got in the car with them and made them drive around for over an hour before going back to where they were picked up. She tells her story.

I had interviewed a dozen people, but only managed to visualise 5: Aliya Khalidi, Lina Abyad, Georges Nassar, Samia Ammache, and Fadi Abi Samra. The stories I heard made me laugh, cry, and worry. I realised that people needed to get their stories out, that they were so quick to open up to me and so enthusiastic in letting others know what they had been through and the mark it left on them.