Qatar National Library backs initiative to protect Palestinian, Lebanese heritage

Doha, Qatar: Qatar National Library hosted an international team of experts as part of a locally driven and globally connected initiative to preserve...

Doha, Qatar: Qatar National Library hosted an international team of experts as part of a locally driven and globally connected initiative to preserve Palestinian and Lebanese heritage.

Titled “Fighting Erasure: Archiving Against the Gaza Genocide and the War on Lebanon,” the project seeks to contribute to the safeguarding of Palestinian and Lebanese cultural heritage through public education and advocacy, training, social media archiving, resource sharing and digital infrastructure development.

Abeer S Al Kuwari, Director of National Collections and Special Initiatives at QNL, said: “Today’s discussions mark the latest in a series of initiatives that the Library has undertaken to help protect our collective Arab heritage since the war on Gaza began. The expansion and intensification of bombardments are putting an increasing number of archaeological heritage sites throughout Gaza and Lebanon at risk, threatening the erasure of landmarks that embody thousands of years of history.”

“At least 104 archaeological heritage sites have so far been destroyed in Gaza and we fear the erasure of the region’s cultural heritage could further expand as the assault on Lebanon continues. Through advocacy, social media archiving, resource sharing and digital infrastructure development, we hope to limit this damage and protect the region’s cultural identity,” she explained.

The event brought together Dr. Jamila J Ghaddar, founding director of the Archives and Digital Media Lab and Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University in Canada, along with Dr. Hanine Shehadeh, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities at NY Abu Dhabi and a Research Affiliate at the Palestine Land Studies Center (PLSC) at the American University of Beirut.