‘Together we walk’: Lebanon wants economic revival through Expo 2020 | Pictures

Dubai, UAE – Following the Beirut eruption last year, Lebanon saw political instability at home and tensions between Gulf states, as its economy began to plummet into poverty and dissatisfaction.

According to a a recent Al Jazeera report, three-quarters of Lebanon’s population now lives in poverty, with Lebanese pounds losing about 90 percent of its value compared to the US dollar. Many lives have been cut short by shortages of electricity, the sharp rise in food and fuel prices, and the lack of health care.

While these challenges are at home, the current state of affairs within the Lebanon pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020 is hope, hope and perseverance.

“Lebanon has gone through a lot recently – from the explosion to the economy, evolution and then COVID. The presence of the stadium itself is a success and a success,” Antoine Char staff told Al Jazeera.

“We have decided to have the words ‘Together we walk’ here in the arena because whatever has happened and will happen in Lebanon, we will stand by. The Diaspora is helping us. We have a responsibility to our future and to change everything because we need to show the world that the past is gone and now we are moving towards change.

As guests enter the hall, they are greeted by a large display of the project and loud music, which reflects the life of “Switzerland of the Orient”, Char added.

Exhibits and paintings are followed by numerous exhibitions, where guests can sit on the swings and “receive all the events” of being in the middle of Lebanon.

“Our goal is to show how Lebanon is recovering and trying to improve its economy,” Ludmilla Medawar, founder of lebanesesignature.com, told Al Jazeera.

“We built the platform during the closing of COVID and now, as you can see from the sales we have here at Expo 2020, how the people there went ahead and started making their Lebanese signatures.”