Source: Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers
On April 6, a DIY festival Beirut Mini Maker Faire was held in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, a small country in the Middle East. This was the first held in Beirut. The development of creative ideas rooted in Lebanon and a sincere exchange of views on the startup scene was seen.
East meets west
Lebanon is well known cultural and historical place, the nation located at the Mediterranean sea meets the culture between east and west. Phoenician people are part of the roots of Lebanese, they were the first to use iron and steal in the history of humans.
It is not a large country, but it is full of complex cultures, with 4,26,000 people in the area.
In the city full of beautiful buildings, mosques and churches are everywhere, and in the church I visited, I was praying to Jesus Christ in Arabic. That is the history of Lebanon.
The beautiful city named Beirut, another name is “Paris in the middle east”, the capital of Lebanon and their running the first Mini Maker Faire Beirut on 6th Aplil 2019.
Craft / Technology / Industrial … Beirut Mini Maker Faire Across Multiple Communities
Omar Hussein, one of the organizers BMMF, says: “There are many hardware enthusiasts in Lebanon, but unfortunately there is not enough movement to connect each other. The Middle East and North Africa countries around Lebanon had more opportunities, and there were more exhibitors and participants, so we were able to connect with more people.”
I think that the first edition of Beirut Mini Faire was great! The ambiance, the makers, the attendees, everything was a good fit. We have also received a lot of positive feedback. People are already asking when is the next faire going to be.
There’s a lot of hardware enthusiasts/makers’ potential in Lebanon but unfortunately, not enough of emphasis on it. So the maker faire came in to :
-Convene and interconnect makers from around Lebanon and MENA region
-Connecting makers from Lebanon, MENA region with various stakeholders
-Present exhibitors with investment opportunities
-Amplify the potential of Lebanese makers through series of technical skills workshops => better prepared skilled workforce
-Support local tech, hands-on, and hardware based businesses => encourage “Made In Lebanon” driven economy over service driven economy
-Propel concept of in-house manufacturing for businesses with mass produced products
The BMMF hosted by Antwork, a coworking space in the Beirut, Beit al Atlas also. Berytech and others of the entrepreneurial community, it was not a large-scale faire, with only 80 pairs of exhibitors a day, but in Lebanon and Beirut Reflecting the nature of the city, it was a place where various communities met and mixed. It’s not a free ticket, and 300 paid visitors are a great success.
Lebanon is a country with a tradition of handicrafts that produces excellent designers. With such a community in the background, BMMF was an event where various handicrafts were prominent.
Coworking space Beit Al Atlas hosted me and Chibitronics CEO Jie Qi. This is also a multicultural maker space, and various parties gather at the party.
Designers present handmade items
Beirut has the face of a literary city…
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