Beirut: Life in the unliveable city

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What is it like to live through the collapse of your country, in a city you love and cannot bear to leave? Lina Mounzer is a writer and translator living in Beirut, and this is a question she wrestles with, both in her writing and her daily life. Lebanon has been in crisis since 2019 when the country’s financial system started to collapse - many people lost their life savings overnight. The 2020 Beirut port explosion then only increased people’s suffering. “Walk down any street here,” says Lina “and you’ll hear talk of price hikes, as well as shortages of food, fuel, medicine, the free-fall of our national currency, and plans to leave for good. I want to take you around my Beirut so you can listen in on these conversations.” Lina speaks with her friends, family and neighbours to hear how they are coping and trying to keep the spirit of the city alive. Producer: Viv Jones Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar (Photo: Anti-government graffiti on a temporary barricade blocking access to the parliament building on 19 August, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. Credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)