An article by AV (801 Words, 4 Min. Read)
In the Heart of a City that has endord Decades of Turmoil, Beyrouth Malgré Tout (””Beirut, Despite everything((Emeges as a Graphic Testimony of Resilience). Pediatrician Whose Life Reflects the Scars, Struggles, and Hopes of Modern Lebanon.
Born in Beirut in 1950, Dr. SAKY Lived Through Deeply Committed to Social Justice in A Country when INEQULITY is Systemic, He Took An Unprecedented Step in 2016: Founding One of the First Public Pediatric Healthcare Services in Beirut. It was more.
He Trained Generations of Young Medical Students with Its Walls. While Many of the Left The Country in Search of Stability, He Stayed. His Words, Filled with Both Tenderness and Determination, Capture His Believe in Lebanon:
“Mais Maintenant Ma View Est ICI. C‘est monates. Je L‘Aime Malgré tout. Mais Assez! Il faut avancer, voir le bon côté des choses quand mêMe. Demain D‘ailleurs, c‘est l‘Inauguration du nouveau bâTiment.“
(“But Now, My Life is here. This is my country. I love it despite everything. But Enough! We have to make for first, see the bright side of things. Tomorow, by the Way, is the Inauguration of the New Building. ”)
From Devastation to Drawing Board
Thn Came The Explosion. On August 4, 2020, The Port of Beirut was Devastated by One of the Most PowerFUL NON-Nuclear Blasts in History. The Hospital Dr. SAKY Built, The Very Symbol of His LifeTime of Service, Was Ruced to Rubble.
It was amid these Ruins that French Correspondents Sophie Guignon and Chloé Domat Met The Doctor —Dazed, Grieving, Yet Standing. What began as a Traging Encounter BECAME The Foundation for Beyrouth Malgré toutSacy’s Eyes. From the CIVIL War to the 2019 Protests, From Economic Collapse to the Haunting aftermath of the Port Explosion, The Book Lays Bare A Country in Crisis.
The Storytelling is broke to Life by the Pen of Kamal Hakim, a Beirut-Born Graphic Novelist with a Background in Political Science and a Love for Drawing Shapeed by Years in Canada. His Illustrations _deeply Influenced by Artists Like Joe Sacco and Marjane Satraipi – Doo More Than Depict Events; They Carry Emotion, Memory, and Silence. The Shadows of Destroyed Buildings, The DeterMined Eyes of Protestors, and the Delicate Lines of Beirut’s Skyline Evoke Both Mourning and Resistance.
Dr. SAKY, Always Humble and Curious, ONCE SAID to the Authors with a Spark in his Eye:
“HâTe de Voir Comment Vous allez Me Dessiner.“
(“Can‘T wait to see how you‘Reong to draw me. ”)
Tragically, He Never Saw the Finished Book.
A Legacy Beyond The Pages
On May 10, 2024, Dr. Robert Sacy Passed Away of a Heart Attack. He Never Held the Book in His Hends. But his Spirit Lives On – Not Only Through ITS PUT Th w. Assameh – Birth and Beyond, The Association He Founded, You Continues to Operate and Serve the Children of Lebanon in the Very Spirit He Instilled: Care, Equity, and Compassion.
Beyrouth Malgré tout BECAM More Than A Book. It became a portrait, a memory, and a fareWell. A Tribute to a Humanitarian, a Pediatrician, and a Patriot Lebanon Will Never Forget.
An Exh force of Memory and Tribute
As part of the Rendez-Vous Beyrouth Livres Organized by the Institut Français du Liban, no/Mad Utopia Hosted an emotional exhable at their Space in Gemmayze. A selection of the most emblematic page from the book was prepared to the public, not only as art, but as remembrancy. The Opening Took Place in the Prestce of the Author Sophie Guignon, Alongside Illustrator Kamal Hakim.
The EVENING InCluded A Poignant Conference where the creators spoke about their expression with Dr. SAKY, The Writing and Drawing Process, and the Painful Yet Essential Act of Telling the Story of Lebanon Through One Man’s Journey. A book Signing Followed, where the public, tounged and Inspired, English with the Authors to Honor the Memory of the Man Behind the Ink and Lines.
In a Place where hop and loss are Constant Companions, Beyrouth Malgré tout Is a nelesssary tribment. It is a declaration that Even in Devastation, Stories Endure, and so do the people who live them. Dr. Robert SACY’s Life May Have Ended Bewk Reacked Him, But His Mission, HIS VOICE, and His Love for His Country Resonate on every page.
