Kahwetna Cafe, is a newly built cultural space on the former “demarcation line” between Tebbeneh and Jabel Mohsen, Syria street, Tripoli.

Gino Raidy, a Lebanese blogger and activist wrote:

“Despite all odds, the MARCH team led by Lea Baroudi brought together young men and women from the notorious Beb El Tebbeneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods in Tripoli. Over a course of more than a year, the actors transitioned from former combatants and prospective refugees, into community leaders in their neighborhoods solidifying reconciliation and bringing the severely neglected communities together for a common cause: peace and prosperity far away from violence and extremism.

Security concerns, resistance and intimidation from local non-state actors and a deep distrust and fear of each other took months to thaw, but the results stunned everyone, including the MARCH team and our partners. A witty, honest play that eloquently satirized the tragic conditions the actors face every day which the actors co-wrote and co-directed was the result of months of stubborn perseverance. It toured all over the country and a documentary that cataloged the arduous process was also received with much praise and massive boosts of serotonin for everyone who witnessed them and got to meet with the actors…

The idea was to rehabilitate a building that lies where the former demarcation line was and turn it into a cultural cafe. The cafe would be a space where the artistic knack of the young men and women who were part of that project could keep doing what they do best: entertain and educate the rest of us about the importance of denouncing violence and coming together to overcome obstacles posed by an absent government and malicious political and extremist influence on the country’s most vulnerable communities.”

Kahwetna Cafe, Syria street, phone:71 222 034. Follow their facebook page.