In Lebanon, more than 100 untouched mass graves from the Civil War (1975–1990) remain, and thousands of families continue to wait for news of a missing relative - or at least a bone to bury. The Soil and the Sea unveils the violence concealed beneath a garden, a school, a café, a hotel, and other seemingly ordinary landscapes. As the camera examines these everyday spaces, voices rise to fill them with stories that have long been silenced.

More than 30 years after the end of the war, families in Lebanon still lack answers about the fate of their loved ones. The creation of the National Commission for the Disappeared in 2020 has offered renewed hope that these sites will finally be investigated and that remains may one day be returned to those who have waited for decades. This documentary serves as the first comprehensive record of these locations, which are threatened by neglect, real estate development, and collective oblivion.

Following the screening, swisspeace will host a short discussion with the film’s co-producer, Carmen Hassoun Abou Jaoude. We will explore the film’s artistic approach and creation process, as well as the broader issue of enforced disappearances in contexts of armed conflict and other situations of violence.

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Konflikte kennen keine Grenzen. Was in Krisengebieten beginnt, wirkt längst auch in Basel – wirtschaftlich, gesellschaftlich und kulturell. Die Auftaktveranstaltung von ECHO BASEL beleuchtet, welche Folgen internationale Konflikte in Basel entfalten, und welche Rolle hier ansässige Organisationen bei deren Bewältigung einnehmen.

Über ECHO BASEL
ECHO BASEL ist eine neue Event‑Serie, die lokale Öffentlichkeit und Fachwissen verbindet, um die Resonanzen globaler Konflikte in Basel sichtbar zu machen und Diskurse zu fördern. Basel ist als international vernetzte Stadt mit starker Präsenz internationaler Organisationen, NGOs und global agierender Unternehmen ein idealer Ort, um diesen Widerhall von Weltkonflikten sichtbar und diskutierbar zu machen. Viele direkt oder indirekt Betroffene haben hier ein neues Zuhause gefunden. Mit unserer Veranstaltungsreihe möchten wir Fachwissen aus Forschung, Politik, Wirtschaft und Zivilgesellschaft einem lokalen Publikum zugänglich machen.

ANMDELDUNG

ECHO BASEL wird durch die Christoph Merian Stiftung unterstützt. Die Auftaktveranstaltung findet in Zusammenarbeit mit pro swisspeace statt.

In a time of fractured geopolitics, political polarization, worsening humanitarian crises, and historically high levels of conflict, what does it mean to work in international aid? This audio library encourages collective reflection through the voices of practitioners.

Ten interviewees were invited to reflect on aid, with particular attention given to the HDP (Humanitarian-Development-Peacebuilding) Nexus, an integrated approach that calls for a better-coordinated response between these three pillars of international aid and for stronger leadership from national and local organizations in order to address complex challenges of conflict-affected contexts. The result is a rich anthology that provides both a personal reflection on how practitioners perceive their work and mission, as well as a lucid picture of the current state of international cooperation.

This exhibition features six listening stations, each highlighting a key common theme across practitioners’ stories, revealing the political factors influencing, challenging, and enabling international aid. Accompanying posters provide context for each topic.

Join our guided tour at 3:15 pm or 5:00 pm (meeting point: first floor).

In January 2025, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the ‘Doomsday Clock’ to 89 Seconds to Midnight, indicating how close humanity is coming to a civilizational catastrophe from climate change, nuclear war or a global war triggered by rising authoritarianism, militarism, digital misinformation, propaganda and political disruption.

The ‘Reversing the Doomsday Clock’ intergenerational forum takes place on Friday, 23 January 2026, at Salon Rouge, Euler Hotel, Basel (Switzerland) and online. It will bring innovative young activists together with policy makers and civil society leaders to discuss effective initiatives and policies to address these issues.

The event will showcase innovative projects, mostly youth-led, on climate change and international law, addressing militaristic propaganda in social media, negotiating nuclear risks, challenging nuclear weapons policies in UN human rights bodies, and establishing institutional representatives for future generations.

Find more information here.

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