Baalbek: A café of one’s own

In a bright café and library in Baalbek, a city perched on the Syrian border, far from the pulsing heart of Lebanon’s capital Beirut, women gathered to share stories free from the presence of men.

“I used to sit for a long time and ask myself: ‘will I ever become a nurse?’ Until one day, I walked into my family’s home and found a white dress waiting for me. My family had decided for me. They took my childhood from me; my dreams dissolved, and I became a wife,” says one.

In a bright café and library on the Syrian border, women gathered to share stories free from the presence of men.

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