Lebanese Diaspora

Lebanese Diaspora
Story by Impressions Staff

Migration has long been a tradition for the Lebanese, whose ascendants  the Phoenicians traveled extensively around the Mediterranean establishing trading posts and by some accounts beat Christopher Columbus and the Vikings to the Americas by almost 2,000 years.

The modern Lebanese Diaspora began in the 19th century when Lebanese Christians fled from the Ottomans´ oppression. In the 20th century, the two World Wars and a civil war in Lebanon itself during the 1970s contributed to further emigration. More than 80% of Lebanese people live outside Lebanon. The modern wave of Lebanese emigration occurred from the 1990s onward. Given the abundance of Lebanese who have settled in countries across the world - the United States, Brazil, Australia and the United Kingdom - they appear to have integrated comfortably with the various societies and their diverse cultures.  Indeed, many have excelled in these new environments and became notable in the fields of entertainment, politics, sport and academia.

MONTREAL, CANADA
There are approximately 300,000 people living in the various provinces of Canada of Lebanese origin. 150,000 are concentrated in French-speaking Montreal. The 1991 census listed 54,605 Lebanese-born people living in Canada, and another 37,000 have arrived in the years since. Prominent Lebanese- Canadians include senator Pierre De Bané, and councillor of the city of Ottowa Mac Harb and a popular young writer, Mr. Wajdi Mouawad.

EUROPE
Although the Lebanese Diaspora has brought many citizens to the Americas, Australia and Brazil, the presence in Europe is not so great, with Great Britain, Germany and France having the largest Lebanese communities.
Nevertheless, in the last decade of the 20th century, 45,000 Lebanese citizens made their way into Europe.

Notable Lebanese in Europe include Dr Peter Medawar, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1960 for his research on tissue implantation and Lebanese-born Frenchman and novelist Alexandre Najjar.

UNITED STATES
There are an estimated three million Americans who claim Lebanese descent, 44,000 of which have moved there from Lebanon since 1991. Around 85% of these are descended from the Phoenicians. The main concentrations are in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York; especially in Brooklyn, where there are high numbers of Lebanese restaurants.

In politics, George Mitchell served in the U.S. Senate from 1980-1995 and John H Sununu was Chief of Staff under President George Bush.
In business, American-Swiss-Lebanese Nicholas Hayek rescued the Swatch watch-making company and invented the concept of the Smart car.

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
There are one million people of Lebanese origin living in São Paulo, and a total of nine million in Brazil, which represents 6% of the whole population. Many Brazilian-sounding surnames such as Ferreira, Salles, Souza, Lage or Pedreira are, in fact, of Lebanese origin. There were three waves of immigration to Brazil, in the mid-1800s, between the world wars, and again post-war.

Of elected politicians, 10% are of Lebanese origin, others incluced Ziad Fazah, reportedly the world´s greatest polyglot, speaks 55 languages.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
There are 300,000 people of Lebanese origin in Australia, mainly in Sydney and Melbourne. Since 1991, 13,000 Lebanese have arrived, and become integrated into Australian society.

Prominent figures include: Professor Marie Bashir who is the first female governor of New South Wales; Rachid Arida who was President of the Supreme Court for 30 years. Recently, Ahmed Elrich represented Australia
in the Olympic under-23s football, and Joseph Haydar, is the Australian champion of weightlifting.