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A new sun for Lebanon

© Hege Opseth, NCA-ACT International

Moussa, 6 years old, says of his drawing: “This is a building - a new building - and a new start. And look at the sun. This is a new sun for Lebanon. Rockets hit houses with nine people inside. They lived next to us. We were hiding from the rockets before we found a bus and went to London. No rockets or bombs will be able to reach us in my new Lebanon. Even the trees will be happy.” Then, grinning and leaving his drawing, he ran off with his friends. Lebanon, 2006

By Hege Opseth, NCA/ACT International

Volunteers working in places where families sought refuge from the fighting spoke of the children’s agony, their innocence and childhood destroyed by war. At the Sisters’ School of Charity, children were asked to express their wishes for the future in drawings. One volunteer, Hussein, spoke of the children’s - and his own - preoccupation with the war.

"Why does all this happen? What is it all about?" Children all over the country asked these types of questions. Hussein explained his fear of sleeping during the fighting. Living in Quana, a place that became a symbol of the war in Lebanon, he hid in a garage, hoping the bombs would not reach him. "We cried and we screamed," he said.

In Beirut, Moussa drew a building, the Lebanese flag and a sun. Again and again, he spoke of the sun. He spoke non-stop, sometimes showing a serious face or laughing - and talking of the horrors of war that a six-year-old should not have experienced at such a young age.

"This is a building - a new building - and a new start. And look at the sun. This is a new sun for Lebanon. Rockets hit houses with nine people inside. They lived next to us. We were hiding from the rockets before we found a bus and went to London," Moussa explained. "No rockets or bombs will be able to reach us in my new Lebanon. Even the trees will be happy." Then, grinning and leaving his drawing, he ran off with his friends.

The displaced children who sought refuge in the school with their families concentrated on their drawings, occasionally fighting with each other over colors. Najwa let nothing disturb her as she colored a building orange, green and yellow. Almost all children drew buildings along with the flags of Hezbollah and Lebanon. "Some of them have seen buildings full of people collapse. Others have seen their own homes being destroyed. It has affected them," said Hussein.

Najwa, nine years old, loves birds and flowers. "I believe the birds have left Lebanon. Our flowers have been burned and buildings destroyed. This is what I want everything to be," she said.

She was silent for a moment before adding: "I believe the birds will come back to Lebanon."

In one center for displaced people supported by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, children spent time drawing every day, their work documenting the previous weeks’ tumultuous events in their country.

"Again and again they keep drawing death and soldiers, everything they have experienced. We try to avert their attention, but it is not easy. Their drawings are brutal. Children of Lebanon have wounds in their souls. Many have lost their childhood," said Thouraya El Bolie.

The 20-year-old is one of many volunteers who have spent time in schools and churches during the fighting. "I cried for the first two days. Cried and screamed. Then I met kids who had lost their parents and their homes. I realized that I still have my family and my home and decided it was time to actually contribute," she said.

Many fear for what impressions the Israeli brutality will leave on the children who lived and survived the violence and heavy bombardments. They have now lived the same story that their parents have told them about the previous wars of their country, although there is one big difference - death comes from the sky. Even the sound of airplanes makes children shake in fear.

Many children said they want to fight and protect their country when they grow up. Mothers also said they want to raise their children to protect their country.

• "They draw the war," El Bolie said.

Other children proudly displayed their drawings. Ali showed his illustration of a mountain with two flags on it. "I want to be a singer," he announced, singing some Arabic tunes.

At the time of our visit, Moussa, Najwa and Ali did not know how long they would stay at the center for internally displaced people. The war came during their summer holiday, but the time at the center was far from what they dreamed of at the end of the school year.

There were other pictures displayed in Lebanon - pictures of children themselves - ones who were killed in the fighting. They were displayed at the Place of Martyrs in downtown Beirut. "Children versus planes," read the text with the photos. The result was clear. A whole roundabout was filled with pictures of the brutality, displayed for the civilians of this small country.

Robert Nicolas, MECC coordinator, fears for the long-term consequences of a war fought at this very moment. "What do you do when your dream dies? Some will choose to become a martyr. The dreams and hopes of our children and youth are dying now. Long-term, it will have some consequences. But we are still very attatched to our future," Nicolas said.

Najwa agreed. After explaining her drawings and hope for the future, she added: "I believe life will return to Lebanon. Our birds will come back again." She is only nine years old - facing an uncertain future, but still brave enough to dream.

Hege Opseth is a communications officer for Norwegian Church Aid , a member of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International.

DanChurchAid is a member of ACT International - a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies.