Washwasha

A Project to Empower Refugees

Video series and flashmob challenged stereotypes about Palestinian refugees.

‘Washwasha’, meaning ‘Whispers’, was an online and offline project that aimed to tackle the discrimination and marginalisation of members of Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp. The camp is stereotyped as being a hub for extremists and this narrative can overshadow and affect the lived experiences of those living there.

A series of interviews involving refugees from the community was filmed and released on a dedicated Facebook page. The central goal of the project was to give them the opportunity to share their stories with the national public in Lebanon.

Some of the team are double refugees themselves. They were displaced from their refugee camp in Syria at the outbreak of the civil war there and forced to flee to Lebanon. Their motivation to undertake a project of this nature was driven by their own experiences.