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Dancer Finds Home in Ancestral Lebanon
25 Sep
Summary
- Naima, a dancer of Lebanese descent, moved to Beirut to connect with her roots.
- Natalie, another Brazilian of Lebanese heritage, also returned to live in Lebanon.
- Both women experienced challenges navigating identity in ancestral homelands.
Naima, a 55-year-old Brazilian dancer of Lebanese descent, sought to connect with her heritage by moving to Beirut. She aimed to learn the language, culture, and understand her family roots. Upon arrival in 2009, she felt a profound spiritual connection to Lebanon, deciding to sell her possessions and start anew in the country.
Natalie, also of Lebanese ancestry from Brazil, experienced a similar pull. After growing up with stories and traditions of Lebanon from her mother and grandmother, she visited the country in 2005. This led to her eventually moving to Beirut in 2013 to teach Portuguese.
Both women found that their ancestral homeland presented identity challenges. Naima initially faced being seen as a foreigner despite her heritage, while Natalie navigated being perceived as Brazilian in Lebanon and Lebanese in Brazil.
Their commitment to Lebanon was tested by crises, including the 2019 financial collapse and the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion. Both women were injured and temporarily displaced, with Natalie returning to Brazil and Naima to Portugal before eventually finding their way back to Lebanon.
Despite displacement and the hardships faced in Lebanon, both Naima and Natalie eventually returned, finding that their identities were deeply intertwined with the country. Their experiences highlight the complex and evolving nature of belonging for descendants of migrants.
