James Kerwin Photographic posted a photo:
In the Spring of 2021, I finally made it back to Lebanon. I set out from Tbilisi and traveled to Lebanon with one mission in mind, to shoot for my upcoming book on Lebanese architecture.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic at the start of 2020, Lebanon seemed to be headed for a crash. What was to transpire is that Lebanon would endure multiple crises during the next 12 months, an economic collapse (imagine all your savings wiped out overnight), rising political instability, and the Covid-19 global pandemic, all of which endangered locals basic rights. And finally, a massive explosion in Beirut’s port area.
With this in mind, I decided to do things a little differently this time around. Firstly, I raised funds through my Ko-fi page to donate to individuals in need on the ground and added expenses – in total so far, I have raised just shy of $1400.
Then I decided to split this money up, with the first pot used for on the ground expenses, I used it to pay for a driver to take me to Tripoli over 2 days (giving a local a wage for a few days in times of hardship), we had to use it for PCR tests and some of the added expenses the pandemic brings with it.
Next up, I hosted a "meet & greet" down at Kalei Coffee Co. in Beirut to thank locals and I then decided to spend some more of these funds to take a local couple for a meal in downtown Beirut – sounds crazy right? Just a meal? Well – it was their first meal out together in 5 years!
And finally, I teamed up with Beirut Heritage Initiative. They provided me access to a few keys sites for the Beirut Blast section of the upcoming book, essentially in exchange for a donation.
Thank you to everybody that got involved and supported the project – and if you would like to support the project, you still have time to get involved through my Ko-Fi page here: ko-fi.com/jameskerwin – where donators or subscribers get exclusive book sneak previews and stories from our time in Lebanon.
Or if you would prefer to donate to the Heritage initiative directly, of course, you can do that as well here: beirutheritageinitiative.com/
Thanks all – James!
www.jameskerwin.uk
