Cultural diplomacy
Lebanese heritage is an essential part of SOUL’s identity & public engagement, both in Washington & in Lebanon.
Through cultural, social, and artistic initiatives, we create spaces where Lebanon is experienced not only through politics and policy but also through its history, traditions, creativity, and community life.
Our activities include art exhibitions, cultural dinners, heritage presentations, social gatherings, and public events that bring together Lebanese communities at home and abroad. In Lebanon, these initiatives help strengthen local cultural life, preserve collective memory, and create opportunities for connection across communities and generations.
For SOUL, culture and art are more than celebration. They are tools of connection, identity, continuity, and soft power—linking Lebanon to its diaspora while reinforcing the social fabric within Lebanon itself.
SOUL
engages directly with victims’ families, participates in memorial ceremonies, and advocates with institutions in the United States and France to sustain international attention and accountability.
Photo: SOUL members lunch with French senator of diaspora Olivier Cadic, Lebanese artists, and media personalities, along with family members of the victims and martyrs.
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Cultural heritage advocacy—New York, NY
SOUL’s Cultural Diplomacy in Action: The Pen: Poets in the Park — SOUL's correction effort
When New York City installed The Pen: Poets in the Park at Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza in April 2026, the monument sought to honor nine influential writers of the Mahjar movement, yet its interpretive plaque introduced a significant historical inaccuracy by identifying all nine poets as “Syrian”—an outdated Ottoman-era immigration label once used by U.S. officials rather than a reflection of their actual birthplaces. SOUL’s research established the correct record: seven of the nine poets were born in present‑day Lebanon, while two were born in Homs, Syria. Recognizing the importance of historical precision in public cultural representation, SOUL documented these findings and initiated a formal correction process with NYC Parks.
Solution
On June 2, 2026, we followed up with Mr. Jonathan Kuhn of NYC Parks regarding the progress on the historical clarification and correction of the park monument.
Mr. Kuhn confirmed that "NYC Parks has amended the interpretive sign language to more clearly state that the majority of the vanished community known as “Little Syria” or the “Syrian Quarter” was from Lebanon and that the relevant authors referenced in the sign and artwork will be explicitly identified as “from Lebanon.”
Advocacy through social events
SOUL hosts a variety of events that celebrate Lebanese culture, support local communities, and foster connections among expatriates and friends of Lebanon.
SOUL Beirut Port Explosion Lunch
SOUL Lebanese product expos
SOUL Cheese and Wine Evenings
