Lebanon’s is experiencing a profound economic crisis that began before massive protests rocked the country in October 2019. Since then the coronavirus has further compounded the economic downturn. In a video seen widely in local media, a Lebanese woman who lost her job was sobbing and said through tears, “I was working and sustaining a decent life. Now, what will I do?” Ongoing depreciation in the value of the Lebanese lira, inflation in the prices of food and other commodities, business closures, and electricity blackouts are impoverishing many formerly middle class people and making life exceedingly difficult for the already poor and disadvantaged. In our latest episode, Mariam tells us about economic hardships stemming from the deepening economic crisis in Lebanon.
Lebanese Arabic Transcript and English Contextual Translation
1
“خبي قرشك الأبيض ليومك الأسود”. يعني ضب مصرياتك اللي بزيدو عنك وجبتن بتعبك وشغلك ليوم تضطر علين وتكون بمشكلة أو أزمة أو ظرف صعب. وقت انقال هالمتل بالزمنات كان عنا بعملتنا بلبنان شي اسمو قرش. القرش كان قيمة مالية لبنانية، مصاري يعني، أقل من الليرة. وكانت الليرة اللبنانية الوحدة بإياما إلا قيمة كبيرة.
“Hide your white penny for your black day.” This means, save your money that exceeds your needs, which you got through your effort and work, to a day you need it and you are in trouble, crisis, or a hard situation. When this proverb was said back in old times, we had in our currency in Lebanon something we call Eresh. Eresh was a Lebanese financial value, masary, less than the Lira. And the single Lebanese lira back then had a big value.
2
في جزدان لهلأ بتذكرو بجارور غرفة الماما. مليان مصاري لبنانية. بس مصاري بطل إلا قيمة، وما عادت الناس تتعامل فيا. تتعامل فيا يعني تبيع وتشتري فيا. هالجزدان كان فيه قروش وليرات، وكنت حب كتير إلعب فين مع ولاد الجيران. بس لأن كان ذكرى عزيزة وقاسية بنفس الوقت عند أهلي، كانوا يخافو آخدن وضيعن. قاسية، لأن بتذكرن بإيام ما نزلت قيمة الليرة اللبنانية بالتمنينات والتسعينات، وصار كل شي مصاري مجميعنا حتى يعلمونا فيا ما إلا قيمة.
There is a purse, which I remember till now, in a drawer in my mother’s room; full of Lebanese money. But money that no longer has a value and people no longer use. Tet‘amal feya means to sell and buy with it. This purse had ‘roush and lirat in it, and I used to love a lot playing with them along with the neighbors’ kids. But because it was a dear and harsh memory at the same time for my parents, they used to be scared that I take them and lose them. Harsh, because it reminds them of the days when the Lebanese lira value depreciated in the 90’s and 80’s, and all the money they had collected to educate us became of no value.