Lebanese photographer Ieva Saudargaitė Douaihi: “Beirut, as I loved, is gone”

August 4 A huge chemical explosion has hit the port of Beirut, with an earthquake equivalent to a 3.3 magnitude. The explosion claimed the lives of more than 150 people and injured at least 6,000 others. Ruins of much of the Lebanese capital remain, and more than 300,000. people were left homeless or their houses were demolished.

After the explosion, Beirut residents told foreign journalists that their city was cursed. “Not just a city,” Ieva added. “And all the earth from pre-biblical times.”

Among the victims are the friends and relatives of I. Saudargaitė Douaihi, who is now in Vilnius. “They are alive, but there is a coma between them, both injured and homeless,” said the Lithuanian, who had created life in Lebanon.

The “no-show” side of Beirut

I.Saudargaitė’s mother Douaihi is Lithuanian, her father is Lebanese. Growing up in the United Arab Emirates, he later moved to Beirut to study. “When it was time to start higher education, Dad urged him not to go too far and study architecture in Lebanon,” he said.

I.Saudargaitė Douaihi moved to Lebanon in 2007. “Beirut always appealed to me, but we didn’t visit the city much when we were children,” the woman said. – When I moved to Lebanon, I started to know him. Here, as with people, the deeper you go, the more opportunities there are to discover something interesting, something new or common. “

Photo from personal archive / Ieva Saudargaitė Douaihi

Although I. Saudargaite Douaihi did not like his university building in the Bible Hills, because it is isolated and separated from the city, Beirut itself was fascinated by it. In the West, cities are often referred to as “Paris in the Middle East.” Such a cliché has already bored the locals, Eve admitted, but Beirut, according to her, is arguably the most charming city in the Arab world, having been the cultural and artistic center of the region.

Each day, as she got to know the city more and more closely, Ieva captured both the striking architecture and the poverty. “Beirut is ubiquitous, versatile, unpredictable – alkaline, ugly, fragrant and stinky,” the photographer asked what it was like. – A city with endless layers that constantly change, and that transformation is “transportable” and stressful at the same time. The pace of life here is fast, full of sounds, faces, conversations. “

Eve’s works were included in the photography book “Beirut, Naked City” and exhibited in various exhibitions. In her photos, and images of the city that may not force the camera out: gloom, poverty, collapsed buildings … The artist said she wanted to show them only because the photos often show only the “exhibition” side , afraid of creating a bad image.

“Public image is important to the Lebanese,” explained Ieva. It is an exaggeration and respect for the other, to show your best side “.

Photo by Ieva Saudargaitė Douaihi / Beirut, Lebanon

Together with the publisher of the book, he also pursued another goal: to start a debate about the city. “On its advantages and the mistakes made in it, so that the next generation, who turned the book around, could clearly see what their city was like and how it could be changed for the better.” 15 minutes I said Saudargaitė Douaihi.

Will you be able to fall in love with the city again?

I.Saudargaitė Douaihi came to Vilnius with his son for a short time at the beginning of the year, but he stayed here without planning it even now: the pandemic prevented him from returning home. After arriving for a couple of weeks on vacation, they couldn’t leave home, so they have been in Vilnius for almost 6 months.

“This year has changed my life, and probably all of us, turned upside down,” he admitted. So far, plans for the future are difficult to make because they can collapse again at any moment. “But Lithuania will definitely be in my future, its nature is very dear to me and of course I always miss Lithuanian cuisine. I also want my son to know it, have friends here, learn the language.”

Eva would find it difficult to leave Lebanon altogether. During the few years he lived in the country, there were ideas for moving to another place, but they were more inspired simply by the desire to meet new cultures, discover new cities and people. “So I want a new experience out of curiosity and curiosity. But my personal, creative and professional life is closely linked to Lebanon, so it would be very difficult to leave it completely …”, he opened.

Photo by Ieva Saudargaitė Douaihi / Beirut, Lebanon

Beirut and Lebanon, however, are in the center of attention of the world’s media, even in popular culture – movies, series – and are often in a negative context, on topics such as terrorism, wars or corruption. For most, this creates a bad impression of this city, but Eve said that life there really wasn’t like it was on the screens.

“I am still afraid to go to a street in Vilnius for one night than in Beirut,” he said. – Of course, thefts may have increased after the economic crisis, but it rarely happened. There is a feeling that if you ask for help, someone will listen to you and respond, because there are more people in the city both day and night. And people just look at each other more. And because of military action, you just know where to go at any given time, and that’s it. The action can take place 1-2 km away, but where you are, you don’t see or hear it. “

“The screen is a frame and it doesn’t show what’s behind it,” Eve said of the Lebanon image. – Here, like the effect of the Chernobyl series in Vilnius, everyone abroad thinks that Vilnius is the old town, lost in Pašilaičiai. My husband, who visited Lithuania this summer, was very surprised at how little the Soviet era feels here. “

Critics now paint the future of Lebanon in bleak colors. The political and economic crises were only exacerbated by the coronavirus, and the explosion, which caused enormous damage, placed an unbearable burden on the state. “After this event, it is very difficult to imagine the future of Lebanon …” Eve said.

It also hurts him because he will have to return to a completely changed city. Many of the images that fascinated her and attracted the camera lens are simply not there anymore.

“Unfortunately, this tragic event destroyed the most beautiful corners of Beirut,” lamented I. Saudargaitė Douaihi. “This thought is very sad, because Beirut, as he loved it, is gone … And if he will manage to discover it and fall in love again … I really don’t know.