The director of the Cervantes Institute closes his trip to Lebanon with an "exciting" visit to the Miguel de Cervantes base

The director of the Cervantes Institute visited the Miguel de Cervantes base in Marjayoun (Lebanon) on Thursday, whose soldiers teach Spanish to the Lebanese population, for which they receive prior training from the Institute. To round off a four-day working trip to the land of the cedars, Luis García Montero got to know in situ the humanitarian work carried out by this base, which is part of the United Nations International Force for Lebanon (UNIFIL), after which he declared himself "proud to be Spanish and to represent a language with more than 500 million speakers".

Almost 600 military personnel trained by the Cervantes Institute have taught our language to some 6,000 Lebanese students since they began this humanitarian mission in 2007. The Cervantes Programme reaches more than 30 different centres (schools, town halls, places of worship, social centres, etc.) in around twenty localities in southern Lebanon.

Before teaching the Spanish language (and also the values and customs of our culture), the soldiers receive training courses from the Institute, as six out of 10 (officers, NCOs and troops) have no previous teaching experience.

García Montero expressed his gratitude for the work they carry out at the base to teach the second language of international communication. "Today is especially exciting," he said. "Thanks to this collaboration, a language is a place to feel, to live together". For this reason, he said he felt "proud to be Spanish and proud of the work being done in this place in southern Lebanon, which is the centre of the world, as all places are because they are human".

For the head of Cervantes, "the idea of collaborating with the Ministry of Defence was a very good one and there are many reasons to continue it". "It is exciting to see the practical fruits of the programme," he added.

Brigadier General José Antonio Miragaya, head of UNIFIL's Eastern Sector, and Commander Romero, in charge of civil-military cooperation, explained their mission to the Institute's delegation. They stressed its importance, not only for teaching Spanish, but also because it allows for interaction and improved communication with the local population.

The number of teachers and students has been increasing year after year, and in 2019 the number of Lebanese students of Spanish reached 481 (212 men and 269 women). In 2020, face-to-face classes were suspended due to the pandemic and mobility restrictions, but are expected to resume next summer.

Since 2016, Spanish military personnel have been receiving training in Spain before deploying to the country, as this is logistically more efficient. Previously, until 2015, the training took place at the Cervantes in Beirut and at the institution's headquarters in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). In 2020 and 2021 the training has been conducted online due to the pandemic. Once in the area, the military can continue to receive support from the teaching team of the Cervantes Institute in Beirut.

Students learn Spanish for free (usually without any prior knowledge) with the military volunteers, and those who can, then enrol in the courses offered by the Beirut Cervantes centre. There are also interpreters at the UN base who have learned Spanish through the Cervantes Programme, which the Ministry of Defence created in 2005 to promote the teaching of Spanish in non-Spanish-speaking countries where Spain has detachments on international peace missions, as is the case in Lebanon.

The visit to the Miguel de Cervantes base included a talk with Spanish teachers and students from different towns and schools. All of them expressed their gratitude for the possibility of learning a language that interests them and the cultural exchange that this generates between Spain and Lebanon.

García Montero also inaugurated the photographic exhibition 'En primera línea', by the photojournalist Diego Ibarra Sánchez, who attended the event. The exhibition brings together images related to the theme "How wars affect education", the result of his work in countries such as Afghanistan, Nigeria, Libya, Tanzania, Nepal, Colombia, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine and Iraq. The exhibition could be seen virtually at the Cervantes Institute in Burkina Faso last spring, and can be viewed here.

This event marks the end of a working trip to Lebanon by the Director of the Cervantes Institute, accompanied by the Secretary General, the Academic and Cultural Directors and the Director of International Relations.

Interest in Spanish is growing considerably in this small Middle Eastern country, where the Instituto Cervantes has a centre in Beirut, a classroom in Kaslik and an extension in Tripoli. In addition, another extension will be opened in the town of Baalbek, García Montero announced on Tuesday.

In the 2019-2020 academic year, Cervantes in Lebanon had 943 students and 1,856 enrolments to study Spanish in one of the 204 general or special courses offered.

In terms of formal teaching (in schools and universities, most of which are private and bilingual), Spanish is one of the most widely taught foreign languages in Lebanon.

At secondary and high school level, Spanish language is included in the curricula of most private schools, especially in the French education system, where it is possible to study Spanish at all levels and stages. In most Lebanese schools with a French baccalaureate, Spanish is the most demanded language at secondary level. In fact, the number of students enrolled in Spanish is double or almost triple that of students of other languages such as Italian or German. At university level, most universities offer Spanish as an optional subject.

Spain is a country that enjoys sympathy and a good image among the Lebanese population. It is highly appreciated as a privileged holiday destination and its Mediterranean culture is valued as much as its gastronomy, mass sports, fashion, Spanish TV series, which are very popular, or music, mainly pop, salsa or reggaeton.

Submitted by José Antonio Sierra, Hispanismo advisor