As Lebanon forged ahead with its new unity government, celebrations of the nation’s 66th Independence Day took place across metro Detroit and beyond, including on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at the Westin Hotel in Southfield.

A traditional dance troupe performs during a Lebanese Independence Day celebration in Southfield on Tuesday. PHOTOS: Nafeh AbuNab/American Elite Studios

The Lebanese American Heritage Club of Dearborn also held an event, as did the Lebanese Students Association (LSA) of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Oakland University was scheduled to have a celebration of its own on Friday, Nov. 20.
The Southfield event, hosted by the Consul General of Lebanon, was attended by an enthusiastic standing-room only crowd decked out in formal attire and ready to celebrate.

Acting Consul General of Lebanon in Detroit Bashir Tawk was the keynote speaker at the event, and his speech highlighted the economic progress made by the nation.

“The world may be in an economic meltdown but Beirut is booming and actually thriving because of it,” he said, noting that bank deposits are rising 20% each year.

Acting Consul General of Lebanon in Detroit Bashir Tawk speaks at the Westin Hotel in Southfield on Tuesday.

The tourism industry has been a big reason for the economic success of the country as Beirut was recently named the world’s #1 tourist destination by The New York Times and Tawk said that it is “Poised to reclaim its status as the Paris of the Middle East.”
Over a million tourists flocked to Lebanon over the first half of 2009, and 58% of them were non-Arabs.

Part of the optimism also stems from the formation of the new government that ended the country’s five-month power vacuum. Some attendees of the event at the Westin hotel were excited to see what the new 30-member cabinet had to offer while others were skeptical.

“This new government is what we’ve always wanted,” said Abbas Fakih of Dearborn about the government.

Mahmoud Halwani of Dearborn Heights agreed with him.

“We all hope it will last so that the people in Lebanon can go on with their lives.”

Ali Hachem of Dearborn was a little more cautious in his optimism.

“I just hope they’ll do some good things for the country,” he said. “The new government is definitely a change; we hope that they’ll do what they said they’ll do.

“We’ve seen previous promises and no action before.”

Another attendee, Youseh Saadeh of Toledo, Ohio, was much less optimistic about the staying power of the new government.

“I don’t think it’s going to last; it’s not a democratic government,” he said.

“They had the elections and they didn’t obey the elections. I think it’s a temporary thing and they don’t have the right people in the government.

“We want a president elected by the people along with the cabinet and congress.”

While politics were discussed in great detail amongst the crowd, many others focused on simply enjoying the moment and the celebration of Lebanon’s independence.

“From the dance troupe to the people, everything’s been great,” said Rania Jergess of Dearborn Heights. “You see people from all different cultures, religions, and backgrounds, everybody happy and smiling, enjoying the holiday spirit.”

Four hundred students also celebrated in that spirit on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Livonia as the Lebanese Student Association at UM-Ann Arbor hosted their first annual Lebanese Independence Day Gala. The night featured keynote speaker Ismael Ahmed, Director of the Michigan Department of Human Services, as well as a few words from Tawk. The group awarded scholarships to Lebanese students Ryan Berry and Nabila Raba.