Hi Amanda, could you provide a brief introduction of yourself?
I’m Swedish, but lived outside Sweden for almost fifteen years; for the last five years in Lebanon. I work in peacebuilding and specifically I am interested in identity, narrative construction and violence. Through my work
and research I have explored these topics through social theater, restorative justice processes, production of
space, and cultural production.
Could you give us information about the context and main goal of your current project with Beirut’s Domari community?
The current project we are implementing in Hay el Gharbe did not set out to work specifically with the Domari community, but aims to strengthen our partner there by supporting them to work in a more conflict transformative manner. However, since a significant portion of the community is Domari, and they have historically been the majority of the neighbourhood, it is essential to consider their specific needs and positionality when working there. With this in mind we also added a component which is a social media campaign to give space for the Dom community to share their stories and challenge the stereotypes they often are subjected to.
Based on your experience, what has been the relationship between peacebuilding policies, strategies, and activities and Dom communities in Lebanon?
As Lebanon regresses more and more to an emergency context I think there is a lack of peacebuilding policies, strategies and activities in the first place, so the relationship between them and the Dom communities is very weak. There are some efforts to work on some of the needs present in the Dom communities, such as statelessness, but no specific inclusion of Dom communities’ needs in overarching policies. Due to the absence of a functional government and state institutions, many needs cannot be addressed or are pointless in advocating for on a national level.
In my view, strict division and politization of identity groups, exclusionary identity narratives, and narrow ideas of belonging is one of the main peace needs in Lebanon. This is also what I see among the Domaris; they are denied access to services, denied citizenship, denied work permits, subjected to racism and stereotypes, and ‘othered’. Like many others they live in lawlessness without security or protection from the state. This is a breeding ground for exploitation and violence. The Dom community in Hay el Gharbe is, in my understanding, one of many marginalized and oppressed communities in Lebanon stuck in this loop of structural violence and exclusion.
Can you tell us a bit about how you ensured your current project was cohesive with the needs of the Dom community in Beirut?
We spent a lot of time and energy on understanding the community in Hay el Gharbe, as well as our partner organisation before offering specific support. The needs assessment combined different tools for data collection, such as Playback Theater performances with different groups from the community (fathers/mothers/children/youth) as well as with staff from the partner organisation. We shadowed the partner organisation's staff, we conducted FDGs and semi-structured interviews with staff and community members, and reviewed secondary data. Based on the findings, our mandate and expertise as an organisation, and the needs and capacities of the partner organisation, we drafted a plan for what kind of support we can offer. I don’t think we can say that we have a complete understanding of the needs of the Dom community, because it is also a diverse community mixed with other communities in the neighbourhood, and we are not working with them exclusively. It has been been very enlightening learning more about Dom’s identity and history, and we continue to learn more about them as we move forward in the collaboration.
From your perspective, how should civil society and peacebuilding organisations design peacebuilding activities and projects to include the Dom community? What roles do you see for the state, for international organisations and donors, and for national or community-based organisations? Are there any Dom-led organisations in Lebanon that you are aware of? If not, why do you think that is?
I think working on exclusionary identity narratives and racism is essential for peacebuilding in Lebanon, and how they are produced and upheld should be considered more in peacebuilding projects. There are already some great initiatives in this domain, both in culture and arts, in education, and in the NGO sector. Unfortunately, there are however many strong actors blocking these efforts, or working in the opposite direction. In the midst of these asymmetrical power struggles, marginalized groups such as the Dom communities are not heard at all. I think a first step would be to support platforms for them to be heard and share their specific experiences in Lebanon. Such platforms could also serve to preserve their identity and heritage. All actors have a responsibility to creatives paths for inclusion.
I am not aware of any Dom-led organisations. My impression is that because of the stereotypes and prejudices, many Domari people do not prefer to make ‘Dom’ a prominent part of their identity. I would assume that is a reason there is a lack of such organisations.
I’m Swedish, but lived outside Sweden for almost fifteen years; for the last five years in Lebanon. I work in peacebuilding and specifically I am interested in identity, narrative construction and violence. Through my work
and research I have explored these topics through social theater, restorative justice processes, production of
space, and cultural production.
Could you give us information about the context and main goal of your current project with Beirut’s Domari community?
The current project we are implementing in Hay el Gharbe did not set out to work specifically with the Domari community, but aims to strengthen our partner there by supporting them to work in a more conflict transformative manner. However, since a significant portion of the community is Domari, and they have historically been the majority of the neighbourhood, it is essential to consider their specific needs and positionality when working there. With this in mind we also added a component which is a social media campaign to give space for the Dom community to share their stories and challenge the stereotypes they often are subjected to.
Based on your experience, what has been the relationship between peacebuilding policies, strategies, and activities and Dom communities in Lebanon?
As Lebanon regresses more and more to an emergency context I think there is a lack of peacebuilding policies, strategies and activities in the first place, so the relationship between them and the Dom communities is very weak. There are some efforts to work on some of the needs present in the Dom communities, such as statelessness, but no specific inclusion of Dom communities’ needs in overarching policies. Due to the absence of a functional government and state institutions, many needs cannot be addressed or are pointless in advocating for on a national level.
In my view, strict division and politization of identity groups, exclusionary identity narratives, and narrow ideas of belonging is one of the main peace needs in Lebanon. This is also what I see among the Domaris; they are denied access to services, denied citizenship, denied work permits, subjected to racism and stereotypes, and ‘othered’. Like many others they live in lawlessness without security or protection from the state. This is a breeding ground for exploitation and violence. The Dom community in Hay el Gharbe is, in my understanding, one of many marginalized and oppressed communities in Lebanon stuck in this loop of structural violence and exclusion.
Can you tell us a bit about how you ensured your current project was cohesive with the needs of the Dom community in Beirut?
We spent a lot of time and energy on understanding the community in Hay el Gharbe, as well as our partner organisation before offering specific support. The needs assessment combined different tools for data collection, such as Playback Theater performances with different groups from the community (fathers/mothers/children/youth) as well as with staff from the partner organisation. We shadowed the partner organisation's staff, we conducted FDGs and semi-structured interviews with staff and community members, and reviewed secondary data. Based on the findings, our mandate and expertise as an organisation, and the needs and capacities of the partner organisation, we drafted a plan for what kind of support we can offer. I don’t think we can say that we have a complete understanding of the needs of the Dom community, because it is also a diverse community mixed with other communities in the neighbourhood, and we are not working with them exclusively. It has been been very enlightening learning more about Dom’s identity and history, and we continue to learn more about them as we move forward in the collaboration.
From your perspective, how should civil society and peacebuilding organisations design peacebuilding activities and projects to include the Dom community? What roles do you see for the state, for international organisations and donors, and for national or community-based organisations? Are there any Dom-led organisations in Lebanon that you are aware of? If not, why do you think that is?
I think working on exclusionary identity narratives and racism is essential for peacebuilding in Lebanon, and how they are produced and upheld should be considered more in peacebuilding projects. There are already some great initiatives in this domain, both in culture and arts, in education, and in the NGO sector. Unfortunately, there are however many strong actors blocking these efforts, or working in the opposite direction. In the midst of these asymmetrical power struggles, marginalized groups such as the Dom communities are not heard at all. I think a first step would be to support platforms for them to be heard and share their specific experiences in Lebanon. Such platforms could also serve to preserve their identity and heritage. All actors have a responsibility to creatives paths for inclusion.
I am not aware of any Dom-led organisations. My impression is that because of the stereotypes and prejudices, many Domari people do not prefer to make ‘Dom’ a prominent part of their identity. I would assume that is a reason there is a lack of such organisations.
