Ultime scintillements - 11/07/2023
MEDI1TV Afrique : Ultime scintillements - 11/07/2023
Transcript
00:00 [Music]
00:11 The image is strange and in many ways disturbing.
00:16 The image of these passionate people, of cars that are shown in exhibitions,
00:23 of vehicles that are rare, that are expensive, cars that cost several thousand dollars
00:30 and that roam the streets of Batroun, in the north of Lebanon.
00:34 A surrealist luxury show in a country that is plagued by the economic crisis,
00:39 a country that is in awe of the beauty of old cars.
00:42 They are, it is undeniable, but in a country where you sometimes have to wait for hours and hours
00:49 in front of the gas stations, not to fill up but to buy a few liters,
00:55 because it costs so much that the population has its money.
00:59 Following the Lebanese economic crash, many families of the middle class
01:04 or who have low incomes, lost their purchasing power and decided to sell their cars
01:10 to pay for everyday expenses.
01:13 After the price of gasoline, which exploded, many decided to simply walk in Lebanese cities.
01:20 Others opted for motorbikes, motorhomes that invaded the streets of the country.
01:26 As a result, vehicles are on the road.
01:29 Either we find old cars or rarer vehicles, but nevertheless magnificent,
01:34 quite seductive Berlin.
01:37 During the civil war, international car manufacturers stopped selling cars in Lebanon
01:44 due to the lack of security guarantees.
01:47 Many have stopped their activities to fill this void.
01:52 The mafioso businessmen, often affiliated with the war militia,
01:57 men who controlled the seaports, began to import vehicles from abroad,
02:04 and therefore by sea.
02:06 So in a fortnight of war, the Lebanese witnessed a significant increase
02:11 in the number of vehicles.
02:14 But as they were often hit by bombings, these cars in the streets,
02:19 their use was mainly dedicated to the flight to exile.
02:23 After the war, some became eager to compensate for what they had lost.
02:28 So they rushed to catch up with their delay by buying luxury clothes, furniture.
02:35 They spent a lot in nightlife, and also the trips that they had missed for so long.
02:41 Cars were no exception.
02:43 They quickly appeared as elements of social valorization in Lebanon.
02:48 What is less said is that many Lebanese have accumulated debts to the bank
02:54 for this purpose, both derisory and ostentatious,
02:58 to own beautiful luxury cars,
03:01 cars that people turn on in the street,
03:05 but that they did not survive the bank robbery of cars.
03:08 They bear witness to the lustre of the past, when Lebanon believed in the economic miracle
03:13 that it was before experiencing what we call today a real economic crisis,
03:19 which is quite harmful for car owners,
03:22 who are often ruined and are forced to sell the vehicles to which they were so attached.
03:29 (Credits)
03:33 (Legacy)
03:36 (dramatic music)