On October 17, 2019, the Forum for Memory & Future was formally launched at an event attended by its member organizations and the general public. The event, which took place at Beit Beirut, a landmark of the civil war, discussed the theme: "Lebanon: More of the Same?"

In the opening speech, Lebanese Association for History President Nayla Khodr Hamadeh talked about how the new forum is a platform for everyone to deal with the memories of Lebanon's violent past, memories that people live with everyday. Journalist Dima Sadek led a panel discussion to further explore how people live with the past, including people like herself that have no memories of the war itself. Writer and historian Ahmed Baydoun and artist and activist Nada Sahnaoui touched on themes of exploring the past for a better future, drawing upon their respective backgrounds.

Some of the questions posed by these speakers and in discussions with audience members ironically received an answer of sorts mere hours later just down the road from Beit Beirut. That night, Lebanon's popular uprising began in downtown Beirut, showing that war legacies and strained memories need to be dealt with if the country is to move forward. They unequivocally showed that "more of the same" would no longer be tolerated as the status quo.

On October 17, 2019, the Forum for Memory & Future was formally launched at an event attended by its member organizations and the general public. The event, which took place at Beit Beirut, a landmark of the civil war, discussed the theme: "Lebanon: More of the Same?"

In the opening speech, Lebanese Association for History President Nayla Khodr Hamadeh talked about how the new forum is a platform for everyone to deal with the memories of Lebanon's violent past, memories that people live with everyday. Journalist Dima Sadek led a panel discussion to further explore how people live with the past, including people like herself that have no memories of the war itself. Writer and historian Ahmed Baydoun and artist and activist Nada Sahnaoui touched on themes of exploring the past for a better future, drawing upon their respective backgrounds.

Some of the questions posed by these speakers and in discussions with audience members ironically received an answer of sorts mere hours later just down the road from Beit Beirut. That night, Lebanon's popular uprising began in downtown Beirut, showing that war legacies and strained memories need to be dealt with if the country is to move forward. They unequivocally showed that "more of the same" would no longer be tolerated as the status quo.