In Beirut, catastrophe does not end when the dust settles. In the days that follow, everything becomes a question: How does one confront tragedy? What does it mean to live in a city that is falling apart? What does it mean to leave or stay?
Amid the ruins of the city and fragments of memory, I Am Not Here; I Am Not There attempts to give form to what cannot be spoken, tracing the collapse of a city through the experiences of people trying to understand where they stand after everything has changed.
The graphic novel took several years to write and draw, during which Lebanon and the region continued to experience profound upheaval—from the tensions that followed the Beirut port explosion to the Israeli assault on southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern suburbs.
The authors chose the explosion as a starting point to understand and document life under an ongoing catastrophe. It marked a turning point in Lebanon’s history, affecting people indiscriminately and shattering neighbourhoods, homes, and lives. Yet its political aftermath was far from collective, becoming instead another source of long-standing internal tensions.
Credits: Moderator: Makhlouf • Story: Hilal Chouman • Illustrations: Emma Harake • Publishing House: Diwan Publishing •
English 
Arabic