Under the patronage of the Ministry of Higher Education, H.E. Mrs. Bahia El Hariri and in her presence, the Cadmus Caravan project for the Bekaa Valley was launched during a press conference held on Wednesday August 5, 2009 at 11:00 AM, at the Pavillon Royal, BIEL.

The President of “Fondation Saradar” Mrs. Marie-Claude Saradar, the Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon Mr. Martial Pagé, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Gerard Jan Van Epen, as well as other diplomatic delegations, including representatives of UN ESCWA in Lebanon attended the launching ceremony. In addition to figures from the private and public sectors and regional and international organizations.

Mrs. Nina Jidejian, historian, who suggested the name of the caravan presented a short historic background of Cadmus and the Phœnician Alphabet.

The Ambassador of Canada outlined the commitment of the Government of Canada to Lebanon in encouraging and supporting the economic development in all regions of the country. He highlighted the role of Fondation Saradar in developing human capacities in IT through its mobile computers schools.

The General Manager of “Fondation Saradar”, Mrs. Tania Helou, delivered a PowerPoint demonstration to present the Cadmus Caravan project.

H.E. Mrs. Bahia Hariri and the Ambassador of Canada with Mrs. Saradar inaugurated the Mobile Computer School that was stationed outside the Pavillon Royal. After the red ribbon was cut, a visit of the caravan gathered officials, guests and the media, followed by a cocktail reception.

The Cadmus Caravan headed the next morning to its first stop in Saadnayel, where the training sessions began on Monday August 10, 2009 for a period of one month.

ADDRESS OF NINA JIDEDIAN
  Historian

Thank you,
Madame Marie-Claude Saradar, President of the Fondation Saradar, Madame Tania Helou, General Manager for the Fondation Saradar project for your initiative in the educational field,

Distinguished members of the Press and Friends.

In the distant past the Egyptians called the people settled on the coast of ancient Lebanon Kin-anhi, “the people of Canaan”.

The ancient Greeks called them Phoenicians, the “red men” perhaps on account of their sun-burned skin or on account of the red-purple dye they were famous for manufacturing. They never spoke of themselves as “Canaanites” or “Phoenicians” but as Tyrians, Sidonians, Giblites, Berytians and Aradians. They lived in city-states established on rocky headlands on the ancient Lebanese coast.

The geographical position of Lebanon on the crossroads of the ancient world made her a melting pot of different peoples and cultures at different times in her long history.

Their interest did not lay in conquest but in trade. At first the Phoenicians skirted the coastline, never going out in the open sea. Then, they started to sail on uncharted waters guided only by the stars.

During the third century B.C. Aratus of Soli wrote in the Phaenomena: “ It is by Ursa Major (the “Big Bear”) that the Greeks on the sea divine which way to steer their ships, because appearing large at earliest night, is bright and easy to mark, but in the other, Ursa Minor (the “Little Bear”), the Phoenicians put their trust as it is smaller, yet better for sailors, for in a smaller orbit wheel all her stars. By her guidance then, the men of Sidon steer the straightest course.”

On one side of the Cadmus caravan you can see a Phoenician ship sailing to the West. You can also see an episode of the Cadmus legend: where Cadmus hands over the Phoenician alphabet on a papyrus scroll to the first of a delegation of three Greeks.

In the remote past, the Greeks resented the presence of the Phoenicians in their waters. Homer (800 B.C.) writes in the Odyssey “Thither came the Phoenicians, famed for their ships, greedy knaves, bringing countless trinkets in their black ships.”

Later however they were welcomed on the Greek mainland where they would disembark on the beaches, spread out their wares: purple dyed and fabrics, glassware and metal work.

They sailed beyond the “Pillar of Heracles” (today the Straits of Gibraltar) into the Atlantic. They had secured for themselves the monopoly of the tin trade with England. The route to the tin mines of England was kept as a dark secret. On one occasion a Phoenician sea captain, seeing that he was followed by a Roman vessel, preferred to dash his ship on the rocks rather than to reveal the secret route to the “Tin Islands”.

The Phoenician alphabet is Lebanon’s greatest gift to the world. Its earliest form is found on the sarcophagus of King Ahiram of Byblos presently in the National Museum. According to legend, it was Cadmus and the Phoenicians, who brought the alphabet to Greece.

Good luck, Cadmus, as you are driven to distant districts in Lebanon to open new horizons in computer skills that will benefit numerous Lebanese. And thank you, members of the Fondation Saradar for your valuable contribution that has made this possible.

ADDRESS OF H.E. Mr. MARTIAL PAGÉ
  Ambassador of Canada

Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that I participate today in the launching ceremony of the Cadmus Caravan project of the Saradar Foundation for the Bekaa region.
We are witnessing today another tangible outcome achieved as a result of the various partnerships between the Embassy of Canada and the NGO community in Lebanon.
This is the second Caravan project that the Canadian Embassy has had the opportunity to support; the first was for South Lebanon. Our assistance for both of these projects, through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, is part of our commitment to Lebanon to encourage and support the economic development in all regions of the country; and technology is an important component for economic growth. However, technology could also become a dividing line between the rich and the poor; so breaking this technology barrier is important to lift disadvantaged communities and individuals out of economic hardship, which is what we are striving to do together with the Saradar Foundation through the Caravan projects.

Supporting training in, and usage of, Information and Communication Technology systems by the largest number of people, both as a learning tool and for economic development, is essential in today’s social and business environment and we are thus very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the Saradar project.

There is no need for me to say how much the Saradar Foundation is respected throughout the country for its dedication to community development. I therefore trust that the Cadmus Caravan project will achieve its objective to train over 1,400 people but also to train trainers to further multiply the benefits of the project in the long term. I am particularly pleased that you have included vulnerable groups such as children and persons with disabilities as part of your targeted beneficiaries. We also welcome the special emphasis on including women in the training opportunities you will be providing as well as micro and small enterprises. In fact, I am very much looking forward to having the opportunity to personally congratulate the trainees upon completion of the program.

I hope that, through this endeavour, we can together help to improve the standards of living of many families by providing access to more job opportunities and hence a better livelihood.

In closing, I wish to commend the Saradar Foundation on the hard work it has put into this project and I offer you all my very best wishes of success.