Book release “Dreaming Lebanon – Lebanon 2050: Letter to My Family Abroad,”

Banque BEMO proudly celebrated the release of the book of the third edition of its national writing competition “Dreaming Lebanon – Lebanon 2050: Letter to My Family Abroad,” during a ceremony held at ESA Business School in Beirut.

The event was attended by Dr. Riad Obegi, Chairman and General Manager of Banque BEMO and founder of the initiative; Mr. Maxence Duault, Director General of ESA; and the Bank’s team, along the partners of the initiative, educational and cultural figures, students, professors, and families from across Lebanon.
Launched in 2022, Dreaming Lebanon was born from Banque BEMO’s conviction that dreaming is not an escape from reality, but the first step toward transforming it.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Myrns Panayot Senior Manager at Banque BEMO, thanked all partners for their continued support and announced the addition of two new partners for 2026: L’Orient-Le Jour and the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO. She also highlighted the participation of students and teachers who make this initiative a living bridge between creativity and education, reminding everyone that Dreaming Lebanon is built on a love of words and the art of writing.
“At Banque BEMO, we dreamed of bringing together Lebanon’s youth—girls and boys alike—in a common effort to dream of a better country. Today, that dream has become reality; it grows day after day, from the South to the North, carried by students who write their dreams for this nation in Arabic, French, and English,” said Dr. Riad Obegi, Chairman and General Manager of Banque BEMO.
Throughout the ceremony, partners and cultural figures shared their reflections on the power of writing and its role in shaping identity.
Poet Mr. Antoine Boulad, representing the Assabil Association, reaffirmed the vital connection between reading and writing: “There is no writing without reading.”
Mr. Emile Tyan Chairman and CEO of Librairie Antoine, described the initiative as “an ambitious project carried by the dream of a banker.”
Ms. Sabine Sciortino Cultural Counselor and Director of the Institut Français du Liban, highlighted the importance of Dreaming Lebanon in engaging directly with the youth and promoting Lebanon’s trilingual identity—Arabic, French, and English—a reflection of the country’s cultural richness and plurality.
Former Bar President Me Amal Fayez Haddad praised this collective effort, uniting students from all regions, and reflecting the true Lebanon — one of dialogue and coexistence, where dreams become a force that builds and enlightens.
In her closing remarks, Ms. Nevine toutounji Hage chahine, President of the competition, reminded the audience that dreaming is a constructive act: ”Dreaming Lebanon is a project born to restore writing to its rightful role in nation-building, inviting Lebanese youth to listen to the memory of places, to rediscover the art of living together, and to shape the Lebanon of tomorrow in ink and hope.”