Minister of Information Ziad Makary and Democratic Gathering bloc member MP Wael Abou Faour patronized the Media and Artists Day in Rashaya Al-Wadi, at the invitation of the Environmental Meeting Association in Rashaya district, in partnership with the Municipality of Rashaya and the Union of Mount Hermon Municipalities, on the occasion of the launch of the 2024 Tourism Activities Committee events, in the presence of Rashaya District Commissioner Nabil Al-Masri, the Progressive Socialist Party’s South Bekaa Interior Commissioner Aref Abou Mansour, Marada Movement coordinator in Rashaya Moussa Zgheib, Press Club secretary journalist Rabia Khadaj representing the Press Club in Lebanon, Mayor of Rashaya Rachrach Naji and Deputy Mayor Engineer Joe Saad, head of the Environmental Meeting Association Walid Seif El-Din, and a large crowd of artists, editors-in-chief, television correspondents, visual, audio, and print media outlets, social media influencers, and environmental activists.
The meeting began with a morning breakfast featuring local Rashaya products at the association's headquarters in "New Rashaya," where Seif El-Din presented the association's activities over nine years of environmental and social work. He thanked Minister Makary and MP Abou Faour for their patronage and presence, acknowledging the attendance of the media and artists.
The association presented a commemorative gift to the media professionals participating in the activity.
The media delegation then moved to the historic Rashaya Souk for a tour, before heading to the Church of Our Lady in Rashaya, where they were welcomed by parish priest Father Ibrahim Saad and a crowd of parishioners.
Father Saad welcomed the visit of the Minister of Information, MP Abou Faour, and the media delegation to the church, stating: "We live in a framework of coexistence and breathe the same air. We dream of seeing more of this intellectual environment." He continued, "In the presence of MP Wael Abou Faour, our desire is very great. Here in this region, we speak one language, not two, because in the Lebanese way, we sometimes speak one language in salons and another in private circles, but here we have one language. So welcome to your home. I am convinced that the Druze family in Rashaya is as necessary to me as breathing, and our Druze brothers feel the same. We strive to spread and strengthen this sentiment and convey it through the media to all of Lebanon."
The delegation then visited the Independence Citadel staircase, which is soon to be inaugurated, before touring the sections of the Independence Citadel, including the weapons museum and the rooms of independence.
Commemorative photos were taken on the citadel's amphitheater.
The delegation moved to Al-Kanz restaurant in Rashaya, where a lunch was held in honor of Minister Makary and the media delegation, welcomed by a traditional performance from the "Zaffet Al-Amir" troupe.
Abou Faour
In his speech, MP Abou Faour said: "I thank the Minister of Information for honoring us with this visit in response to the invitation of the Environmental Meeting Association in Rashaya district, its president Walid Seif El-Din, and the work team. This environmental association is active in social work. Thanks also to all the female and male journalists and media outlets that responded to the invitation for this visit."
He added: "Despite the tragedy and suffering we witness in Palestine and southern Lebanon due to Israeli aggression, the will to live, survive, and continue, and the will to challenge, is stronger. What we are doing today is an act of defiance, demonstrating that the people of these regions are remaining on their land. We are in a region close to the south and its aggressions, and therefore, the steadfastness of the people in this land is in itself resistance, a will to live, and a will to continue."
Abou Faour continued: "The goal of this meeting is, first, to meet our friend the Minister and the journalists during this visit to Rashaya and to see its beauty. We thank you and hope you will convey this image—a beautiful image of Rashaya’s heritage and historical spiritual treasury, a Rashaya of environment and coexistence, a Rashaya of community in its highest form of love and mutual respect. We hope this image is conveyed to the Lebanese media and public opinion. We hope we have been good hosts and successful in presenting the image of Rashaya, because we have an ambition to turn this region into a permanent tourist destination. You have visited the region, its citadel, its ancient souk, Mount Hermon, and the Jabal Hermon Reserve—all these landmarks deserve to be a destination for all tourists. Although we do not have much of the glitz found in other places, we have a hospitable people and a beautiful region."
Abou Faour encouraged the Lebanese people to include visiting this region in their plans.
Makary
In his speech, Minister Makary said: "I came from Ehden to Rashaya and felt I was in my own town because we resemble each other in many things despite the geographical distance. We believe in one Lebanon—a free, independent Lebanon that supports humanitarian causes such as the Palestinian cause. We believe in coexistence; we have neighbors just as you do, and we live together in peace, harmony, and conviction, a subject we pass on to our children."
He said: "Coming to Rashaya in these circumstances is not a passing matter; on the contrary, it is a return to the roots of history, as independence started here, and Lebanon was founded here in the Rashaya prison, a prison nearly 100 km from Beirut. In times of hardship, the Lebanese are called upon to return to the deep-rooted origins of this region's people, history, traditions, and customs."
He thanked the Environmental Meeting Association for its efforts and work to make Rashaya a model green region that resembles the old Lebanon.
He emphasized that the youth, in particular, must visit Rashaya and its citadel so they know that the beautiful Lebanon was founded in this region. He thanked the journalists and artists and called on them to make efforts to present a better image of Lebanon and the summer tourism season, inviting hundreds of thousands of Lebanese expatriates, Arabs, and tourists to visit Lebanon. This is the positive role of the media, and we are all one family, considering this day a historic one in Lebanese media.
The meeting concluded by presenting a commemorative shield to Minister Makary, MP Abou Faour, and the media colleagues who participated in organizing the day: Gaby Makhlouf, Jeanne d'Arc Abi Yaghi, Aref Moughames, and Nader Hijazi.
Writer and journalist Hassan Bahmad also presented Minister Makary with his book titled "Kamal Jumblatt: The Human and the Fast."
