Sowar Magazine Publishes Lebanese Civil War 1975-1990 Special Photo Edition

BEIRUT, LEBANON - Sowar Magazine, a journalistic and documentary photography magazine based in Beirut, published “Snapshots from the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990),” a special edition featuring photos of the war.

As part of a “Let us not Forget” campaign, the magazine asked nine highly renowned photographers who lived during that period to send in some of their best shots.

The intent of the initiative was to present images that serve as a reminder of the horrors of war so that they are not repeated, particularly as Lebanon passes through a politically-charged period. The edition is dedicated to those who lost, and still are losing, their lives in an unfair and unjust cause.

Sowar, the phonetic pronunciation of the word “pictures” in Arabic, is a picture-intensive magazine that covers events, cultures, scenes, and people in Lebanon, the Middle East, and the Gulf.

The magazine’s concept is based on the premise that a picture with a few words is worth a million. Pictures are presented in full and double page spreads with minimal accompanying commentary. Founder and editorial director Hassan Osman explains, “People just love looking at pictures, and we give them just that. More eye candy, fewer words”

In the Arab world, where both the fields of photojournalism and documentary photography are underrepresented, Sowar Magazine is taking the lead on defining their landscape. One objective of the magazine is to help promote the work of photojournalists and documentary photographers in the region, where photographers benefit from having their work published and viewed by thousands of readers.

Sowar magazine is distributed to major bookstores in Lebanon and is available through online subscriptions to international readers.