MarieClaire
  • News
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Career
  • Bridal
  • Podcasts
  • Beyond Beauty
  • Video
MarieClaire
  • News
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Career
  • Bridal
  • Podcasts
  • Beyond Beauty
  • Video
MAFS' Aleks and Ivan exchange wedding vows
Watch 4:43

MAFS' Aleks and Ivan exchange wedding vows

{headline}

{headline}

The Best Reactions To Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Groundbreaking Oprah Interview

The Best Reactions To Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Groundbreaking Oprah Interview

The Biggest Revelations From Meghan And Harry's Oprah Interview

The Biggest Revelations From Meghan And Harry's Oprah Interview

Celebrities Are Rallying Around And Publicly Defending Meghan Markle Following Bullying Allegations

Celebrities Are Rallying Around And Publicly Defending Meghan Markle Following Bullying Allegations

Meghan Markle's Oprah Interview Outfit Is Sparking Comparisons To Wallis Simpson

Meghan Markle's Oprah Interview Outfit Is Sparking Comparisons To Wallis Simpson

{headline}

{headline}

Meghan Markle Said The Palace Had Concerns About Archie's Skin Colour

Meghan Markle Said The Palace Had Concerns About Archie's Skin Colour

Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Announce They're Having A Baby Girl

Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Announce They're Having A Baby Girl

Best-Selling Book ‘Detransition, Baby’ Is Officially Getting The TV Treatment

Best-Selling Book ‘Detransition, Baby’ Is Officially Getting The TV Treatment

{headline}

{headline}

The Final Book In The 'Fifty Shades' Spinoff Series Officially Has A Release Date

The Final Book In The 'Fifty Shades' Spinoff Series Officially Has A Release Date

Samantha Armytage Announces That She's Leaving 'Sunrise' In Search Of 'Peace And Quiet'

Samantha Armytage Announces That She's Leaving 'Sunrise' In Search Of 'Peace And Quiet'

Turns Out 'MAFS' Belinda Had A 73-Year-Old Boyfriend Before Our Sweet Patrick, And Here’s The Proof

Turns Out 'MAFS' Belinda Had A 73-Year-Old Boyfriend Before Our Sweet Patrick, And Here’s The Proof

Connie Crayden Sets The Record Straight On Her Past With Bryce From 'Married At First Sight'

Connie Crayden Sets The Record Straight On Her Past With Bryce From 'Married At First Sight'

12 Times The Royal Family Seemingly Used Fashion To Convey A Hidden Message

12 Times The Royal Family Seemingly Used Fashion To Convey A Hidden Message

Six Prominent Prominent Australians On What Fuels Them In The Fight For The Future

What Women Want

Rumour Has It, Bella Varelis And The New 'Bachelor' Jimmy Nicholson Were Once An Item

Rumour Has It, Bella Varelis And The New 'Bachelor' Jimmy Nicholson Were Once An Item

  1. Home
  2. News

Beirut Blast One Month On: ‘This Is A Crime Against Humanity’

Nadine Labaki is a Lebanese legend - the Oscar-nominated Capernaum director, actress and political activist. In a world exclusive she talks about what lies ahead for her troubled nation - by Maria Coole
  • 03 Sep 2020
Beirut Blast One Month On: ‘This Is A Crime Against Humanity’

We’ve all watched the shocking footage of the August 4th Beirut blast. An explosion in the city’s port destroying over half of Beirut. It’s a tragedy resulting in at least 190 dead, 6,500 injured and leaving Beirut on its knees. Spurred on by this seismic event, anti-government protesters gather daily on its devastated streets and in its famous Martyr’s Square.

The blast, believed to be caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate which had been unsafely stored, has so far seen only twenty officials arrested. Allegations of mismanagement, regarding the substance’s storage, were an ongoing issue, more recently being voiced in October 2019 during sustained unrest over government corruption and economic hardship.

Nadine Labaki, one of Lebanon’s biggest stars and political activist talks to her friend and journalist Andrew Threlfall about the fallout. Labaki’s work covers a range of political issues such as war, poverty, and feminism. Her latest film, Capernaum won the Palme d’Or in Cannes and for her the accolade of first female Arab director to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Nadine, where were you when the Beirut blast happened?

‘Our house is in one of Beirut’s oldest districts called Achrafieh. My family was there for four months observing lockdown but we recently relocated some miles away. In horror I saw everything live on TV. I can’t imagine what would have happened if we had been home. All of our windows and doors in Achrafieh were blown out. It will be sometime before it’s habitable.

‘I feel so fortunate my two children didn’t witness the explosion firsthand. There isn’t one family in Beirut who doesn’t have a story of total devastation. The father of my son’s teacher died and I know many many people who are badly injured.’

Childhood in ruins: playing amid the aftermath of the explosion

Childhood in ruins: playing amid the aftermath of the explosion

Getty Images

How on earth did you react after witnessing such a shocking event? 

‘I called many friends and every single one said, ‘It’s destroyed everything’. Only then did the magnitude of the explosion hit me. Up to half of the city is destroyed. Sitting in stunned silence, at first I thought it was a nuclear bomb. The devastation in my beautiful city is exactly like a nuclear bomb explosion. In fact, it’s happened 75 years to the week since the atomic bombings on Japan.’

With so much devastation everywhere, what images will you never forget?

‘Everywhere there were people covered in blood and dust. Emerging from buildings with blank eyes in total silence. There were very few cries, almost complete silence. It was very, very disturbing. People walking, just walking, walking nowhere. Numb. I felt like I was watching the walking dead.’

The Lebanese are famous for their resilience, but this feels like the final hammer blow. Do you feel the same?

‘We’re all traumatised one way or another. Many of us lived through wars and now this. I hate to say it but it almost feels like this was our destiny. The Lebanese are really tired. We want to live a normal life. It feels like a crime against humanity. If the world stays silent about what happened, it is collaborating with this crime. A crime committed by those who allowed the storage of dangerous materials. The world needs to keep being reminded of one fact. This is a man-made disaster. It is not a natural disaster. Direct negligence, corruption, stupidity and inefficiency made this happen. It’s a month after the Beirut blast and there’s still a sense we’ll wake up from this. That we dreamt it. For us in Beirut it feels surreal.’

The Samuel De Champlain Bridge is illuminated with the colors of the Lebanese flag as a tribute to the victims of Beirut's blast and in solidarity with the people of Lebanon

The Samuel De Champlain Bridge is illuminated with the colors of the Lebanese flag as a tribute to the victims of Beirut's blast and in solidarity with the people of Lebanon

Getty Images

How do you think this will affect the younger generation, the ones protesting against the corrupt political elite?

‘My heart breaks for the young. Especially when I see them in the street cleaning up the rubble day after day with no help from the government. They should be enjoying life, making plans and travelling. Instead they’re exposed to this total destruction. They’re picking up the remnants of broken houses and broken lives. Yet this injustice has also created an incredible feeling. There’s an urge to change the world and transform Lebanon’s reality. Also after all the supplies lost in the explosion, I truly believe sustainable home farming is one of the solutions.’

What lessons can we all learn from this terrible tragedy? 

‘Everyone needs a mission in life. Mine drives me to make films to help change the system for the better. Society isn’t working anymore, none of it is working anymore. Our systems are failing, not just in the Lebanon but across the world. The concept of representation, the concept of borders, everything is so absurd. People who are not within the system are excluded and marginalised.’

getyt

Nadine Labaki (with refugee child actor Zain Alrafeea and her husband, producer Khalid Mouzanar) receives the Jury Prize award for Capernaum at Cannes Film Festival 2018 from Gary Oldman and Lea Seydoux

Getty Images

Your film Capernaum highlights the plight of 1.5m Syrian refugees in Lebanon. You must take great joy from what happened to Zain Alrafeea, the refugee boy you plucked off the streets to be its star? 

'I knew Zain was smart and charismatic the first time I met him. I thought this child’s future cannot be growing up on the streets. He was special and I’m happy he is living in Norway speaking fluent Norwegian and English. When I first knew Zain he couldn’t write Arabic, now he’s texting me in Arabic. Zain has a great future.’

And how can we help rebuild Beirut’s future?

‘The only guarantee is to give money to the people on the ground working in the reconstruction. To the people who are feeding and sheltering the 300,000 new homeless.’

* How to help the Beirut blast victims
Send your donations to any of the following. These are charities and not Lebanon government-run organisations: The Lebanese Red Cross, Offrejoie and Impact Lebanon

This article originally appeared on marie claire U.K.

Subscribe & receive a gift from Go-To Skincare-

Subscribe to marie claire

Subscribe Now
Subscribe & receive a gift from Go-To Skincare

Subscribe & receive a gift from Go-To Skincare-

Subscribe to marie claire

Subscribe Now
Subscribe & receive a gift from Go-To Skincare

Recommended to you

MAFS' Aleks and Ivan exchange wedding vows
Watch 4:43

MAFS' Aleks and Ivan exchange wedding vows

{headline}

{headline}

The Best Reactions To Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Groundbreaking Oprah Interview

The Best Reactions To Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Groundbreaking Oprah Interview

The Biggest Revelations From Meghan And Harry's Oprah Interview

The Biggest Revelations From Meghan And Harry's Oprah Interview

Celebrities Are Rallying Around And Publicly Defending Meghan Markle Following Bullying Allegations

Celebrities Are Rallying Around And Publicly Defending Meghan Markle Following Bullying Allegations

Meghan Markle's Oprah Interview Outfit Is Sparking Comparisons To Wallis Simpson

Meghan Markle's Oprah Interview Outfit Is Sparking Comparisons To Wallis Simpson

{headline}

{headline}

Meghan Markle Said The Palace Had Concerns About Archie's Skin Colour

Meghan Markle Said The Palace Had Concerns About Archie's Skin Colour

Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Announce They're Having A Baby Girl

Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Announce They're Having A Baby Girl

Best-Selling Book ‘Detransition, Baby’ Is Officially Getting The TV Treatment

Best-Selling Book ‘Detransition, Baby’ Is Officially Getting The TV Treatment

{headline}

{headline}

The Final Book In The 'Fifty Shades' Spinoff Series Officially Has A Release Date

The Final Book In The 'Fifty Shades' Spinoff Series Officially Has A Release Date

Samantha Armytage Announces That She's Leaving 'Sunrise' In Search Of 'Peace And Quiet'

Samantha Armytage Announces That She's Leaving 'Sunrise' In Search Of 'Peace And Quiet'

Turns Out 'MAFS' Belinda Had A 73-Year-Old Boyfriend Before Our Sweet Patrick, And Here’s The Proof

Turns Out 'MAFS' Belinda Had A 73-Year-Old Boyfriend Before Our Sweet Patrick, And Here’s The Proof

Connie Crayden Sets The Record Straight On Her Past With Bryce From 'Married At First Sight'

Connie Crayden Sets The Record Straight On Her Past With Bryce From 'Married At First Sight'

12 Times The Royal Family Seemingly Used Fashion To Convey A Hidden Message

12 Times The Royal Family Seemingly Used Fashion To Convey A Hidden Message

Six Prominent Prominent Australians On What Fuels Them In The Fight For The Future

What Women Want

Rumour Has It, Bella Varelis And The New 'Bachelor' Jimmy Nicholson Were Once An Item

Rumour Has It, Bella Varelis And The New 'Bachelor' Jimmy Nicholson Were Once An Item

MarieClaire
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • Beauty Crew
  • Home Beautiful
  • Who

Our Network

  • Better Homes and Gardens
  • BHG Shop
  • New Idea food
  • New Idea
  • Girlfriend
  • That’s Life
  • Practical Parenting
  • All Recipes
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7Plus
  • Airtasker
  • 7NEWS
  • SocietyOne
  • Health Engine
  • Starts at 60
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Marie Claire

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe & receive a gift from Go-To Skincare-

Shop This Offer
Subscribe & receive a gift from Go-To Skincare