Young Lebanon

Available for over a year

Even before the explosion, Lebanon already suffered from decades of economic mismanagement, endemic corruption, a political system said to serve vested interests, a currency crisis and on top of all that, the global pandemic. Now the blast at the port has caused untold damage to the wealth of the nation and an entire political class stands accused of letting their country down. When the French President visited the crisis-hit nation recently, a young volunteer, Lilian Hawila, voiced the frustration of a generation when she harangued him in the street, prompting Macron to respond “Your anger is my source of optimism”. She is one of the panel of four young Lebanese opinion-formers discussing the issues that matter most to their generation. They tackle questions raised from across the country by those under 35 in a programme hosted from Beirut by BBC Arabic correspondent, Carine Torbey. On the panel: Michelle Keserwany: Script writer and singer-song writer Timour Azhari: Journalist Lilian Hawila: Student known for confronting President Macron at the site of the blast Marwa Osman: Academic and broadcaster BBC World Questions is a series of international events created in partnership with the British Council. Producers: Charlie Taylor & Helen Towner Studio Managers: Henry Dutton & Tim Heffer Photo: People help to clean debris after massive blasts in Beirut, Credit: Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images