Americans have been hearing a lot of talk lately about refugees, such as the young people fleeing for the United States from Central America.
How about hearing from a former refugee in another part of the world?
Mahdi Fleifel is an Arab who lived in a refugee camp in Lebanon. He knows about suffering. He’s also produced a film about that life. It airs Monday night at 9 in a POV segment broadcast on Panhandle PBS.
Fleifel’s film, “A World Not Ours,” profiles three generations of refugees living in southern Lebanon, which borders Israel, which of course is now embroiled in a conflict on its own southern border with the Gaza Strip.
The link attached to this post notes that the film presents “An intimate, and often humorous, portrait of three generations of exile in the refugee camp of Ein el-Helweh, in southern Lebanon.”
It’s hard to find “humor” in a circumstance such as what those folks no doubt endured. The suffering is unimaginable.
And yet … the human spirit is a resilient thing to behold. It engenders faith, fellowship, bonding and compassion for others.
Perhaps even Palestinians caught up in an ancient struggle that most of them likely want to conclude can find something to smile about, correct?
Fleifel is the writer, producer, director and actually is one of the stars of the film. He’s won awards and acclaim for his work.
Panhandle PBS viewers Monday night will be able to see for themselves how Mahdi Fleifel has earned all this praise.
