Maarawi and Seklawi at Manchar Souwar opening: Regie fuels treasury, supports farmers with concrete measures

The director general of the Ministry of Finance, Georges Maarawi, representing Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, said on Wednesday that the Regie “fuels the national treasury through its successful operations.” Maarawi was speaking at the opening of the Manchar Souwar exhibition, held at UNESCO Palace, which showcases the best photographs submitted to the annual contest organized by the Regie. As for the Regie’s chairman and general manager, Eng. Nassif Seklaoui, he highlighted the institution’s commitment to “supporting farmers with concrete, practical measures, especially during the war and afterwards.”

Among those present were the director general of the Ministry of Culture, Ali al-Samad, the president’s media adviser Rafic Chlala, Brig. Gen. Taleb Hamadeh from the Presidential Palace, and Eng. Sarah Rammal, representing Agriculture Minister Dr. Nizar Hani. The event also drew representatives of public institutions, municipalities, cultural and professional bodies, banks and universities. Regie board members Eng. Georges Hobeika and Dr. Issam Salman, Finance minister’s adviser Ghassan Baydoun, Government Commissioner to the Regie Mirna Baz, and Financial Auditor Carol Youssef were likewise in attendance.

The exhibition, which will be open to visitors on September 18 and 19 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., features the winning photographs of Manchar Souwar’s fourth edition, titled “Whispering Faces.”

It also includes a selection of works from previous editions of the contest, which aims to document the heritage and history of tobacco cultivation in Lebanon.

This year’s first prize, worth $3,000, was awarded to Mohammad Loubani, while the second prize of $2,000 went to Ahmad Hariri.

The third prize, valued at $1,000, was presented to Mahmoud Sleiman.

Seklaoui

Seklaoui opened his speech at the exhibition by calling for a minute of silence “in honor of the tobacco farmers who lost their lives: eight women and 41 men from the border villages of Aitaroun, Aita al-Shaab, Blida, Houla, Mais al-Jabal, Maroun al-Ras, Ainata, Kounin and Hanin.”

These farmers, he added, “were killed during the latest Israeli war on Lebanon, holding on to their seedlings and determined to remain steadfast on their land.”

He mentioned that “since its launch in 2016, the Manchar Souwar exhibition has sought to support young talent and foster local community development.

Today, on the Regie’s 90^th anniversary, the contest was designed to represent a living memory, preserving the heritage and history of tobacco cultivation in Lebanon, and documenting the details of farmers’ lives: their sweat, their toil, their determination and their patience.”

“When we speak of tobacco, we are not speaking of green leaves that are planted and harvested. We are speaking of people’s stories… of faces that carry the very meaning of life, of the son of Aita al-Shaab who cultivated his land amid the rubble, of Rmeish, which stood strong and carried on planting, of the people of Aitaroun, whose homes were destroyed yet chose to cultivate every inch of land untouched by the occupation,” Seklawi said.

“We are speaking of the people of Ad-Duhairah and Marwahin, who carried their tools to another land in order to keep their blessed seedlings alive. Were it not for the symbolism and dignity of these crops, farmers would not have continued cultivating them despite displacement and danger,” he continued.

Seklawi said that “the Regie goes beyond symbolism and flowery words,” highlighting its commitment to “supporting farmers with concrete, practical measures, especially during the war and afterwards. For instance, it launched a rescue initiative to plant tobacco seedlings in safe areas, providing an alternative for more than 5,000 farmers displaced from their land. In addition, with the direct support of President Joseph Aoun, then Army Commander, the Regie advanced the purchase date of the harvest by a month and a half, raised prices by 24% over two seasons, allocated financial assistance to farmers who were unable to cultivate their crops, opened new crop collection centers in safe areas and coordinated with the relevant authorities to ensure the transfer of the harvest out of targeted villages. It also launched a humanitarian initiative to support farmers and workers who had been forced to leave their homes, providing them with basic needs such as medicine, food and shelter.”

“Today, as we begin the 2025 season, we move forward with new steps approved and supported by Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, a brother and friend who has always been a symbol of success. Every project and reform law bears his clear imprint,” he continued.

He stressed that the measures taken by the Regie “were not mere figures in a statement or empty promises made in speeches, but a clear pledge that farmers would never be left alone, that the Regie stands by them in the field, in displacement, and throughout their journey of resilience.”

Seklawi emphasized that “Manchar Souwar is not only an art exhibition, but also an act of loyalty and a living memory. It is a promise to preserve the stories of farmers, to document their heritage, and to reaffirm that the tobacco seedling has long stood as a symbol of resilience, dignity, and determination.”

“Speaker Nabih Berri did not merely support tobacco cultivation but faithfully accompanied the Regie through all its stages. He believed in its national value, stood by it at a time when some doubted its survival and proved to be a faithful ally and reliable guarantor. Weren’t it for him, we would not have been able to come so far, nor would tobacco cultivation have remained a symbol of resilience and a cornerstone of identity and stability,” he added.

Seklawi thanked “the heroic farmers, the sons of the land, who turned the tobacco leaf into a national symbol and a living testimony to resilience and dignity, the photographers who, like farmers carrying their tools, bore their cameras even in the most difficult conditions to convey the story truthfully, Finance Minister Yassine Jaber for sponsoring this artistic event, the Ministry of Culture for providing its halls for the exhibition, as well as the organizing team, the jury members and everyone who contributed to the success of this initiative.”

“I invite you to carry these photographs in your hearts, just as the farmers carry their land in their souls, so that their stories remain the reflection of a nation that rises despite all its wounds,” he concluded.

Maarawi

Speaking on behalf of Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who was unable to attend due to a Cabinet session, Maarawi said: “Manchar Souwar gives us the opportunity to set aside our pressing concerns and immerse ourselves in a world of creativity rooted in authenticity, kindness, heritage and deep ties to the land, in the blessing of bread earned through hard work, in the scent of the soil, and in the sun-browned faces and arms that plant to survive, build, teach, produce and, above all, that fuel the state with revenues and profits rather than burdening it with deficit and debt.”

“We are here to enjoy photographs that tell the story of resilience and paint in vivid colors the lives of people who rise before the sun and rest only after the moon has gone to sleep, people whose lives are crowned with the joy of toil. Yes, there is joy in toil, when it consecrates the land’s identity and brings forth generations capable of shaping the present and the future through honest labor,” he added.

“We know that the manchar (drying rack) is used to dry clean clothes, but sometimes, in times of hardship, it can be misused by malicious tongues to air political laundry, projecting an ugly image of Lebanon that contradicts its true message, a message of dialogue and coexistence, the very reason for its existence,” he explained.

“Although I had promised myself not to touch on politics today, the positive climate that has prevailed in recent days has revived our hope that our hearts will regain their purity, producing creative solutions as wonderful, serene and genuine as the photographs on display at the Manchar Souwar exhibition.”

“Our gathering today was made possible thanks to the Regie’s management and determination. This institution has become a model of production, resilience, sustainable development and profitability all at once. It has dedicated itself to the seedling of resilience, helping Lebanon preserve its greenery and securing jobs everywhere: in the fields, where farmers sow and harvest; at home, where women are partners and producers, stitching with needle and thread the lifelines that protect families from deprivation; in the border villages of our beloved South, where farmers remain steadfast on their land; and in the factory, where machines roar under the hands of patient workers. It is an institution that manufactures, develops and exports the flavor of pride to the world, that educates and rewards excellence, provides healthcare, plans and implements development projects that strive to be sustainable and, above all, fuels the national treasury through its successful operations,” he continued.

Maarawi said that “behind this institution stands a determined management that was able to plan and execute its vision. It regards all employees as family, fosters unity and solidarity, and strives to provide decent living, development and social justice.”

He thanked Seklawi, “the esteemed head and chairman of this institution,” as well as the Board of Directors, the administration and all employees “whose efforts have ensured the success of their management,” hoping that they “serve as role models.”

Maarawi also wished to see the launch of “new, renewed and lasting initiatives that reflect the bright image of the Lebanon we dream of,” and expressed hope that “the next gathering would be held in the tobacco fields, whether in Akkar, in the Bekaa, or in Southern Lebanon, to celebrate the joyful return of life to the source of sacrifice, resilience, goodness and generosity.”

Participants and Winners

Seklaoui presented a commemorative shield and a framed print of this year’s winning photograph to the event’s sponsor, Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, both of which were received on his behalf by Maarawi.

The Regie described the photography contest, in which amateur and professional photographers from Lebanon and abroad compete to capture the most striking images of tobacco farmers, their fields and their tools across the country, as “a cultural project that portrays tobacco cultivation in Lebanon as an integral part of the country’s social and cultural heritage, passed down through generations.”

The Regie explained that the contest, named after the manchar (used to hang tobacco leaves to dry) also aims to “support young talent in the local community, particularly those gifted in the fields of creativity and art.”

According to the Regie, 36 contestants took part in the fourth edition of Manchar Souwar. They uploaded 253 photographs to the website dedicated to the contest, 32 of which were qualified for the final stage.

The Regie attributed the decline in the number of participants in this edition to “the challenges posed by the country’s situation and the recent Israeli war on Lebanon, such as the risk of traveling to tobacco fields and other sites, as well as the difficult economic situation and the inability of some aspiring participants to purchase a modern camera.”

The first edition of Manchar Souwar was held in 2016, followed by a second edition in 2017, a third in 2019, and a fourth this year.

The 2016 edition focused on the different stages of tobacco harvesting, with 248 photographers submitting 787 entries. In February 2017, a special exhibition of these photographs was held at Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah High School in Nabatieh, under the patronage of Randa Assi Berri, wife of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

As for the second edition, the following themes were chosen for the contest: “Faces and Stories,” “Roots,” “Patience,” “Hand in Hand,” and “Resilience."

A total of 68 contestants took part, submitting 263 photographs. An exhibition of the winning entries was later held at the Regie’s headquarters in Hadat, with the opening ceremony sponsored by Randa Berri.

In 2018, the winning photographs from the first and second editions of Manchar Souwar were showcased at Beirut Art Fair, where the third edition was launched under the theme “Women Tobacco Growers.” Nearly 150 photographers took part in the contest’s third edition, submitting around 800 photographs. The award ceremony was held on International Women’s Day in March 2019 at Beit Beirut in Sodeco, under the patronage of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, represented by Interior and Municipalities Minister Raya El Hassan.