1 year and 1 day ago, August 3rd 2020 was a random day and 12 B was back then just the number of a tank, filled with fossil fuel.
One year ago, it was August 4th 2020. The day some of us were still in the Office in Tabaris at 6:07 p.m. when Beirut and Beirutis got destroyed.
We couldn’t understand what hit us! A car bomb that detonated in Tabaris?? Attacked by an air strike? Looking at our surroundings, the only thing our foggy brains could believe is that we were ALIVE!
Today, 12 B becomes a code for 12 Months Beirut.
One year passed already since Beirut was nuked by the third most powerful explosion in the World after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
On August 4 2020, 216 people were killed, 21 went missing, thousands injured, 300,000 people were made homeless and 16 million Lebanese around the world were devastated.
Why? We still don’t know WHY! Why 2750 tons of Ammonium Nitrate were left in the Port for the past 6 years? Why not one responsible for such negligence and incompetence was not convicted for such a Crime against Humanity?
A very hard year went by, and since then, Beirut and its people are still grieving and seeking justice every single day.
On August 4 2021, we cry and we pause for hours of silence. We all remember the explosion, we hear the screams, we see the blood, we feel the fear, we pray for the victims to rest in Peace, we are devastated by the pain of their Families, we see the injured, we relive the chaos everywhere, the interrupted phone lines, the crying phone messages, the destroyed buildings, the shattered hospitals and we cry and cry angry tears and tears of rage! 12 Months Beirut, since the massive destruction of Beirut, its homes, its Families, its offices, its shops, its restaurants, its streets and its souvenirs of Happiness.
Allah Yer7am the Victims and God bless their Families and give them strength to overcome the tragedy.
One year later, we remember and honor the victims and the Beirutis survivors by stitching a new skin on the 12 B tank.
Tank 12 B witnessed like all of us so much turmoil over the past 5 decades. It was destroyed twice. Once in 1978 & the second time in March 29th, 1989. On the first Commemoration of August 4th memorial, tank 12 B has a new skin. Nude color, it has stitches, sewed non-esthetically just to close the wound. It has now an indelible scar, filled with fuel giving us the Energy we need to move from one station to another in our lives.
It's content is non-renewable unlike the energy Lebanese all have within them giving them the power to move mountains for the victory of Good v/s Evil.
Everyone lived August 4 2020, whether from Beirut or from your TV that blasted your eyes and hearts in Brazil, the US, Australia or wherever you are in the World. All Lebanese around the Globe share the same pain and devastation.
This August 4th explosion has scarred all of us Lebanese for life. As Gebran Khalil Gebran once said in the Broken Wings Novel “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
On August 4 2020, we all got scarred for life.
This powerful sentence by Gebran Khalil Gebran can be interpreted in many ways and forms but surely describes the strength of a nation that is restless.
N.M a Lebanese PHD student in Psychology, says that this sentence represents all the victims of the blast and all the people that were affected whether physically or mentally. Scars are not only shown, they are felt too.
F.T a Lebanese art student explains that Gebran Khalil Gebran is honoring the victims who Lebanon unfairly lost due to the blast and the ones that were injured and scarred for life and that are still fighting for justice even one year later. This sentence describes what Lebanon has been living since August 4 2020.
V.T a Lebanese psychologist explains the power behind this sentence used and relates to it with what happened on August 4 2020, saying that it describes the resistance and resilience of the Lebanese people. It’s what every Lebanese is going through which is surviving after a traumatic experience.
M.T a Lebanese Journalist sees two explanations for this sentence: a human explanation and a political one. The human perspective: describes the resilience of a nation and our people that are overcoming all obstacles to move forward. From a political perspective, the power of this sentence is that it encourages the people of Lebanon to fight those who are responsible for this massacre.
P.C a psychologist says that this sentence describes one main emotion which is suffering. This emotion is what makes people experience themselves and makes them stronger. It is an emotion that makes you know what are your values, what are your priorities and how to face any situation. This sentence describes the suffering of all Lebanese, and all types of scars they're left with after August 4 2020, whether physical or mental.
These souls are us. The SuperLebneniyeh with the most massive characters are seared with indelible scars ta netzakar w ma nkhaliha ten3ad, until justice be made.