Out of their belief in the importance of South Lebanon and its pivotal role in Lebanese life, the students of the “Media Workshop” course at the University of Sciences and Arts in Lebanon (USAL) organized a full event titled “And the South Remains”. The event aimed to highlight the steadfastness of the South, its history of struggle, and its importance as an inseparable part of Lebanese identity.
The event was divided into two parts. The first was opened by student Ali Souli and included a speech by MP Dr. Elias Jaradi, who affirmed in a moving address the need to turn southward “with the compass of truth and the rightness of the path”, adding: “Hold on to this belonging, because the South is the last stronghold of humanity, and it is our honor to carry this cause and defend it”.
This was followed by a speech from student Zeinab Assaf on behalf of the course's students, in which she summed up two months of diligent work, affirming that the South “is not merely a patch of geography on the nation's map, but a spirit running through all its corners, and a firm principle that says to the whole world that every occupied or threatened land in our beloved country is a South in need of sacrifice”.
The voices of media students Malak Sherim, Rawan Harshi, Jana Hussein and Zeinab Zein rose with patriotic poems embodying love of the country and southern steadfastness. The segment included musical pieces to revive the South's aural memory, among them enduring anthems such as “The Most Beautiful of Mothers” and “I Walk with My Head Held High”.
To enrich the memory of the South, engineer Mohammad Kawtharani gave a contribution reviewing the lives of historic strugglers such as Adham Khanjar and others who left their mark on the path of struggle.
The event was accompanied by a photographic and heritage exhibition in the university's corridors, displaying relics of martyrs, books about Jabal Amel, and pivotal dates from the period of occupation through to liberation.
In the second part, presented by student Hiba Dhaini, the religious missionary Maya Ziadeh spoke, affirming that the South's struggle transcends sectarian divisions and represents a human and national value. She was followed by the reporter Fatima Fatouni, who shared her experience covering the Israeli aggression on South Lebanon, paying tribute to the steadfastness of her martyred journalist colleagues who “refused to leave despite the shelling… and spoke their word before they left this world”.
Journalist Mohammad Farhat took part remotely with a video in which he stressed national importance as a cornerstone of journalistic work.
Journalist Amal Khalil spoke about her experience at Al-Akhbar newspaper since 2006, and how the pen can be a tool of resistance and of documenting the steadfastness of the people of the South.
The journalistic contributions concluded with Zeinab Yassine, who recounted her first-hand experience covering events and her steadiness in the face of challenges.
The event closed in a spirited atmosphere to the strains of revolutionary songs and anthems with the singer Hajj Ali Al-Attar, as the university's students chanted in the name of the South, affirming the slogan “They will all pass, and the South remains!”.
The event's organizers from the “Media Workshop” course affirmed their determination to continue documenting the stories of the South and the experiences of those who struggled for it, so that their message from the University of Sciences and Arts in Lebanon to the South endures: “They will all pass, but you are the one who remains”.
