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Two days after the explosion at the port of Beirut, President Macron visited the Lebanese capital and saw for himself the devastation caused by the blast. In the neighbourhood of Gemmayze he met 23-year-old Lilian Hawila who was volunteering in the clean-up operation. Her fury at Lebanon's political class and impassioned plea to the French President to listen to the voices of the Lebanese people went viral not just in Lebanon, but around the world. Four weeks on from Macron's initial visit, she reflects on that encounter and what needs to change in Lebanon.

(Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron listens to Lilian Hawila as he visits a devastated street of Beirut, Lebanon 6 August 2020. Credit: Thibault Camus/Pool via Reuters)