Patricia Khoder, Office of Communications, communications@aub.edu.lb
To mark 50 years since the start of the Lebanese Civil War, the American University of Beirut (AUB) launched a series of events on April 13, the war's anniversary. Over the course of a year, AUB will organize a series of activities under the theme “Fifty Years of Amnesia."
One of these events is the exhibition “Lebanon Fifty Years of War: Memory and Testimony," organized by the Archives and Special Collections Department at AUB University Libraries in collaboration with the Department of History and Archaeology. The exhibition will run until June 12 in the lobby of the Nami Jafet Memorial Library.
“The Lebanese Civil War continues to shape the country's political, social, and cultural realities. Fifty years later, many of its causes remain unresolved, and its consequences are still felt. This exhibition offers a space for critical reflection, memory preservation, and intergenerational dialogue. It is especially relevant for younger audiences who did not live through the war but are affected by its legacy," says Samar Mikati, curator of the exhibition, university archivist, and head of the Archives and Special Collections Department at AUB.
Inside glass display cabinets, dozens of items are presented. These include a selection of documents, newspapers, newsletters, photos, posters, AUB faculty books, as well as AUB student theses that document the Lebanese Civil War its consequences.
Each year of the war is represented in a separate cabinet. The photos, party posters, and newspaper clippings draw particular attention. They offer a clear and detailed look at the war's history. The exhibition covers major events including the Battle of the Hotels, the Israeli invasion, the election and assassination of Bachir Gemayel, the Sabra and Chatila massacres, the Inter-Lebanese Dialogue Conference in Lausanne in 1984, the wars that tore apart West Beirut, and the Taif Agreement in the autumn of 1989.
A section is dedicated to the May 17, 1983 agreement, which was meant to pave the way to peace between Lebanon and Israel but was later annulled by the Lebanese government. This section features many books related to the agreement, as well as its complete text, which remains largely unknown to many Lebanese.
The exhibition also features posters from various political (and armed) parties, offering a time-travel experience through the visual language of the 1970s—especially in the art of propaganda and communication. One display includes a leaflet from June 1982, dropped over Beirut at the start of the Israeli invasion. Written in Arabic, it urges the city's residents to flee in order to save their lives.
Reflecting on the criteria used to select the exhibited materials, she adds: “We focused on materials that highlight key events, turning points, and human experiences during the war available in our collections—such as photographs, student writings, protest posters, and political documents. Items were chosen for their emotional, historical, or symbolic significance, and for their ability to spark discussion and reflection. We avoided the ones that provoke hatred or incite violence. We also prioritized diversity in source types and perspectives."
Another cabinet focuses on the heavy toll paid by AUB during the war. As the curator explains: “AUB was deeply impacted during the war—physically, intellectually, financially, and emotionally. The exhibition explores the assassination of university figures, like President Malcolm Kerr and Deans Robert Najemy and Raymond Ghosn, in addition to many others who were kidnapped or killed on their way to AUB. It also addresses the challenges of maintaining academic life, the destruction of infrastructure, and the resilience of the AUB community. It underscores the university's enduring commitment to education and dialogue in times of crisis."
The same exhibition is digitally presented at AUB's Debs Center – New York Office.