In October 2019 INHERIT and our partners in the Cultural Corridors of Peace project organised a regional gathering of Bedouin communities from Lebanon, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The gathering took place in the desert at Wadi Rum, Jordan.
Between 19th and 21st October, 45 Bedouin from the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, different parts of Jordan and the South Hebron Hills in the Occupied Palestinian Territories came together to share their traditions and visions for the future, and to discuss the significant cultural and political challenges they face.
A young Palestinian researcher, who took part in the event, described the nomadic symbolism of Wadi Rum as a reminder that the Bedouins were once a people undivided by borders. Further information is available on the Cultural Corridors project website.
Project coordinator, Aphrodite Sorotou of INHERIT, said:
“This gathering was like a dream come true. When we started working with Bedouin communities in the Bekaa in Lebanon, we saw that it was an important aspiration for them to come together with their brethren from other countries. The gathering has also proved important for understanding the whole story behind their cultural heritage, both in the past and now. Seeing them together – embracing each other, celebrating their cultural similarities and differences – we all realised how much protecting their living heritage is the way forward for them and the generations to come.”
The film 'No Future Without Past' documents the gathering and the activities and discussions that formed part of this three-day event.
The film was produced by INHERIT with Manos Six, Stamos Abatis, Olga Stefatou, Maria Damkalidi and Nikitas Gryspos, and with the support of the Cultural Corridors project partners.
Cultural Corridors of Peace is funded by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, in partnership with the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport. The project is being delivered by INHERIT, the American University of Beirut, the Council for British Research in the Levant and Coventry University's Centre for Trust, Peace & Social Relations.