Ana Torres Fonseca
Twenty years have passed since the 2006 Lebanon War, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that left deep scars across the Land of the Cedars.
Even today the consequences are continuing to be felt in the country. The most notable is the mass emigration of Christians.
Despite large exodus, it is estimated that they still account for between 30% and 35% of the Lebanese population.
JAUME FIGA VAELLO
Journalist and author of 'Flowers in the desert'
Behind all this lies a profound love for the homeland. Unofficially, there was talk of the Kissinger report, which proposed that Christians leave the country and go to the United States or Canada so that Lebanon could become a country for Palestinians. And the Christians said no: 'We're staying. This is our homeland.'
Our guest had the opportunity to spend a month gaining an in-depth understanding of the reality of life for the Christians living in the Middle East, and in particular, Lebanon.
That is where he discovered 26 stories which he has titled 'Flowers in the Desert,' all of which share two distinctive traits:
JAUME FIGA VAELLO
Journalist and author of 'Flowers in the desert'
02:07 – 02:23
Because it strikes me as being very vivid, like a flower blooming in the midst of a barren desert where nothing else grows. This is precisely because of hope. The two words, so to speak, that are most central to the book are faith and hope.
Lebanon has the largest Christian presence and political influence in the Middle East. Nonetheless, those who live there are going through one of the most difficult periods in their history.
JAUME FIGA VAELLO
Journalist and author of 'Flowers in the desert'
Lebanon is a Christian country where there is religious freedom. In countries like Iraq, for example, there is no religious freedom. It is the only country in the Middle East where this freedom exists. As for the others, I can't say 100%, but I'd say there's no religious freedom in any of them. In the book, I tell the story of a priest who had to free Iraq during the Taliban invasion. They were just going out and killing people.
And for the journalist and writer, this problem has a specific name:
JAUME FIGA VAELLO
Journalist and author of 'Flowers in the desert'
The biggest issue is Hezbollah. To us, it is a terrorist group; to them, it isn't. It's a paramilitary political group. But the problem they have there is that Hezbollah is a state within a state.
The biggest problem today is that there is a lot of corruption.
The 26 stories told in Flowers of the Desert put a face on the community that, despite the economic crisis, emigration, and instability, continues to fight to keep the Christian presence alive in the Middle East.
