Lebanese, Palestinian Archivists Preserve War Memories

Amid war and fears of destruction, Palestinians and Lebanese are taking extraordinary steps to preserve cultural memory and historical records. Rima Sharara evacuated the Bint Jbeil Public Library’s computers and hard drives from southern Lebanon, saving photographs, community documents and 24 oral-history recordings after the library itself was destroyed. Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh likewise moved his diaries and personal papers from Ramallah to Scotland after a discreet, two-year digitization and mailing effort, fearing they could be damaged during Israeli military operations. His archive spans decades of Palestinian life, including the occupation, peace negotiations, human-rights work and periods of intense violence, while also revealing his private criticisms and reflections. Together, the efforts underscore how archives, oral histories and personal writing can preserve communities’ identities when war threatens their physical institutions and records.