In this episode, we explore the deep religious fractures that have long been exploited by Lebanon's political elites to further their own power. Our guests tackle the notion that competing religious sects are doomed to clash, arguing instead that these divisions are often manufactured and mask a wider sense of unity.

We hear from farmer Ahmad Jaafar, architect and activist Nahida Al Khalil, and historian Charles El Hayek to get a sense of the reality behind the sectarian rhetoric.

"Lebanon: should I stay or should I go?" podcast is produced by Sowt for Context, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s digital news platform, and it is the story of a nation's collapse as told by its own people.

This episode was produced by Tareq Ayoub and Basant Samhout, hosted by Nazih Osseiran. Sound Design by Siham Arous. Editorial support by Rana Daoud. The show's Executive Producer is Nada Issa. Original score is composed by Firas Abou Fakher.

https://www.context.news/

In this episode we tackle education, and find out how the economic crisis is affecting students. We speak to Michelle and Fatima, students at the Lebanese University. We also hear from Hassan Jaafar, the headmaster of a public school in the Bekaa Valley, who tells us why he feels he failed his students. And philosophy teacher Boushra Saab talks about the mental health crisis she has witnessed in Lebanon's public schools.

"Lebanon: should I stay or should I go?" podcast is produced by Sowt for Context, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s digital news platform, and it is the story of a nation's collapse as told by its own people.

This episode was produced by Tareq Ayoub and Basant Samhout, hosted by Nazih Osseiran. Sound Design by Siham Arous. Editorial support by Rana Daoud. The show's Executive Producer is Nada Issa. Original score is composed by Firas Abou Fakher.

https://www.context.news/

In this episode, we put Lebanon’s healthcare sector under the microscope and find out how corruption and mismanagement made the effects of the wider economic collapse even worse and left the sector on its deathbed.

Our guests are Dr. Anis Germany, a public health expert, and Nibal Dahouk, a health sector activist. We also hear from 46- year-old Wissam al-Nahhas who works at a grocery store and lives with kidney failure.

"Lebanon: should I stay or should I go?" is produced by Sowt for Context, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s digital news platform, and it is the story of a nation's collapse as told by its own people.

This episode was produced by Layla Yammine and Basant Samhout, hosted by Nazih Osseiran. Sound Design by Siham Arous. Editorial support by Rana Daoud. The show's Executive Producer is Nada Issa. Original score is composed by Firas Abou Fakher.

https://www.context.news/

In this episode, we take listeners to Tripoli, Lebanon's second city and one of the poorest urban areas on the Mediterranean coast. We visit the slums of Hayy al Tanak in Tripoli and then head to Hermel, a poor district where crime is rife and tribal vendettas are common.

People here let us into their lives and share what it is like to be cast aside and forgotten by the very people who are supposed to be taking care of them – their government. And Farah Al Shami, a development economist and fellow at the Arab Reform Initiative, tells us how the economic meltdown has affected the most vulnerable.

"Lebanon: should I stay or should I go?" is produced by Sowt for Context, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s digital news platform, and it is the story of a nation's collapse as told by its own people.

This episode was produced by Layla Yammine and Basant Samhout, hosted by Nazih Osseiran. Sound Design by Siham Arous. Editorial support by Rana Daoud. The show's Executive Producer is Nada Issa. Original score is composed by Firas Abou Fakher.

https://www.context.news/

For years, Lebanon was seen as a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people from the region, but that is changing. Religious leaders and conservative politicians are fanning the flames of intolerance, and queer people say they are being scapegoated and blamed for the country's economic and social failings.

In episode 1 of "Lebanon: should I stay or should I go?" we hear from Adam, Joe and Karim who tell us how they are coping with this increasingly hostile environment in their homeland. We also speak to activist Maya Al Ammar about the current state of LGBTQ+ rights in the country.

"Lebanon: should I stay or should I go?" is produced by Sowt for Context, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s digital news platform and it is the story of a nation's collapse as told by its own people.

This episode was produced by Jawad Rizkallah and Basant Samhout, hosted by Nazih Osseiran. Sound Design by Siham Arous. Editorial support by Rana Daoud. The show's Executive Producer is Nada Issa. Original score is composed by Firas Abou Fakher.

https://www.context.news/

We started producing this podcast in August 2023. Then came the seismic events that have shaken the Middle East since October 7th, and we thought we would hold back our launch until things calmed down a bit. Obviously, things haven’t calmed down. But we’ve released our podcast because the people we met and interviewed are still there, and their stories are still important. We think, however, that we owe you an explanation of our decision, and set the stage for the episodes that you are about to listen to.

So, in episode zero, Executive Producer Nada Issa and producers Layla Yammine, and Jawad Rizkallah share their own stories of what life in Lebanon has been like since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel and the subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza. And what that has meant for them as journalists, as Lebanese citizens and as producers of a podcast that aims to bring you stories of some of their country’s most marginalised people.

"Lebanon: Should I stay or should I go?" is produced by Sowt for Context, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s digital news platform, and it is the story of a nation's collapse as told by its own people.

This episode was produced by Basant Samhout and hosted by Nazih Osseiran. Sound Design by Mohamed Khreizat. Editorial support by Rana Daoud. The show's Executive Producer is Nada Issa. Original score is composed by Firas Abou Fakher.

https://www.context.news/

"Lebanon: Should I stay or should I go?" is a new podcast is produced by Sowt for Context, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s digital news platform.

In this series, people living on the margins of Lebanese society share their stories of living through one of the most turbulent periods of their nation’s history – from deep sectarian divisions to chronic corruption to a crippling economic meltdown. As they push through each day, they wonder whether it makes more sense for them to keep living in a land that they love, or risk everything to seek better lives elsewhere.

Tune in every week as we take you on a journey across a country in crisis. You’ll meet members of the LGBTQ+ community who are trying to carve out a space to be themselves, health workers seeking to perform medical miracles in a broken system, and residents of one of the country’s poorest cities, who feel like they’ve been forgotten.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.