During his research into Lebanon's past, Beirut columnist Georges Boustany discovered dozens of photo albums filled with images of smiling strangers, witnesses to a luminous Lebanon, with its bustling streets, old-fashioned cafes, and its sweet joie de vivre.
This discovery awakens an unexpected nostalgia in Georges. The Lebanese Civil War has deeply marked the country; however, it does not entirely constitute it. Many Lebanese share this pervasive feeling of temporal uprooting, and this need to bring to life all the eras of the country. On social media, a community is forming, exchanging memories and buried identities.
In the Lebanese newspaper L'Orient-Le Jour, Georges has been telling the stories behind each image since 2017. He shares stories imbued with emotion and poetry. His work is not simply a nostalgic look, but a vibrant reconnection with the past, a way of breathing new life and color into bygone moments, and of showing that a happy future is possible.
Rather than a frozen golden age, he reveals a heritage that is always in motion, where each memory nourishes the future. His work reminds us that today's precious moments will become tomorrow's vibrant memories, and that it is more necessary than ever to preserve and cherish them.
Georges Boustany has compiled his images and texts in two books, Avant d'Oublier I and II.
A third book is in preparation.
We are proud to announce a collaboration with Georges, to be revealed in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, you can find his books (in French) here:
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