Zahl retrieved its history by unveiling its 150th jubilee monument A Hand out of the Rubble dedicated by BAU

Under the auspices of the Lebanese President, General Michel Souleiman represented by Minister Wael Abu Faour, Zahlé celebrated on Saturday, 13th October 2012, upon an invitation by the Governor of Bekaa, Judge Antoine Sleiman, the unveiling of its 150th jubilee monument, considered to be the first constant reminder created by Roudy Rahme and presented by BAU.

At the celebration, Minister Wael Abou Faour, who was representing also the  Head of The  Lebanese Parliament and the Lebanese Prime minister, gave an improvised speech deducing lessons from history, he commented, “We are not raising a stone skeleton today, but a monument of love and unity, a monument of the vows that should be renewed among the Lebanese in their unity, their understanding and their solidarity”. He added, “We read history,  but each of us reads their own narrative. Is it possible that we read the future as one narrative, as one future?”

He further added, “It is time for this Lebanese maze, divisions and  fragmentations to come to an end. This nation is what the President and the Lebanese people wanted, to be a boat with a thousand masts and a thousand sails. Each mast opens up to the wind; each wind leads the nation in a different direction. It is time for this nation to be one and to remain one. One boat; one sail; one wind; one direction – namely the future of Lebanon.”

President of Beirut Arab University Prof. Dr. Amr Galal El Adawi, in turn expressed his happiness and pride to present this monument that will immortalize this majestic city, and delivered the following speech:
“With all due pride today and as we place a token made of the stone of “Jarat Al Wadi” on the lands of history, roots and glory, in gratitude and appreciation to Zahlé, the “Aroos El Bekaa”, the Muse of poets, the beacon of scholars and writers; where history wove epics of the city’s resistance, epics that stand untarnished by time. Thanks to the city’s sons and honorable families, it has become an epitome of pride and stamina. In its space, the poems of writers and poets echoed, glowing from generation to generation, settling in their sentiments.

BAU, finding solace in being near to you, is overwhelmed with the ambition to repay beneficence with gratitude; and beneficence is to give generously and be loyal to the youth who built the nation with knowledge and faith, dedicating their potentials to serve their environments and develop their communities.

Gratitude and appreciation are due to the Father of the Nation and the patron of our gathering, praying to God Almighty to firm his steps on the path towards Lebanon’s revival and prosperity.

Gratitude and appreciation are due to all those who contributed to our gathering today, in particular his Excellency the Governor Judge Antoine Sleiman, President of Beirut Arab University Alumni in Bekaa Mr. Maen Omairi, and the creator of brilliant scultures, Roudy Rahme, whose sentiments together with ours etched our rock today.

BAU is proud to place this beautiful landmark as a symbol of the tenacity of this great people, and as an expression of gratitude extended by a University that is preoccupied with its society, that adds to the nation and communicates with the Other.

Long live the Bekaa, the epitome of national unity. Long live HE, the President of Lebanon. Long live Lebanon.”

As for the monument, it is made of mixte media. For almost 8 months, Roudy Rahme sculpted the monument that is to immortalize the 150th jubilee of Zahlé. It takes the shape of a hand that extends out of rubble.

Governor Judge Sleiman organized a celebration in the city on this occasion. The poet Roudy Rahme recited a poem he had composed especially for this event and the ceremony was presented by the Media figure  Mr. Majed Bou Hadeer, with a short film giving a synopsis of Zahlé’s history.