Samir Bleibel is the President of the Board of Directors of the world Lebanese Cultural union in Edmonton, Alberta. Under his leadership, the university, with the support of more than seventy volunteers, and members of the Lebanese community, actively participates in the annual Heritage Days Festival held in Edmonton, one of the largest festivals in Canada. Lebanese participants have earned an outstanding reputation, winning awards for their traditional, folkloric performances, especially the Lebanese dabke, as well as for offering the best of Lebanese cuisine and showcasing heritage crafts, leaving a strong Lebanese imprint on the event’s history and vibrancy.
Samir Bleibel was born in 1957 in Tripoli, North Lebanon, to a father from the Beqaa region and a mother from the South. His early education took place at the Islamic College and Evangelical School, followed by Al-Haddadin Secondary School in Tripoli. His educational journey helped shape his social and political awareness, creating an open-minded personality that bridges all segments and components of Lebanese society.
He lived through the Lebanese Civil War and its complexities, realizing that the sectarian system is the graveyard of Lebanese dreams and that Lebanon's future progress depends on ending sectarianism and transitioning toward a citizenship-based system.
He pursued his university education at the Lebanese University, moving between the Institute of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Arts in the History Department before completing his studies in the Faculty of Law and Political Science in 1984. He then shifted to a career in banking. In 1987, he immigrated to Canada, marking the start of a new phase centered on social work within the Lebanese community in Edmonton.
His journey began with the Association of North Lebanon, where he was elected president for three years. In 1996, alongside a group of Lebanese friends, he revived the Lebanese Cultural University chapter in Canada, sparking a new chapter in community work among Lebanese Canadians. Three years later, he was elected president of the chapter in Edmonton. His focus was on fostering unity among Lebanese people in Canada and building bridges with the broader Canadian community.
For over 29 years, the world Lebanese cultural union has collaborated with various Lebanese organizations to provide services to the Lebanese diaspora. These services include verifying passport applications and personal documents on behalf of the Lebanese Embassy, teaching the Arabic language as well as English to newcomers, donating ambulances to the civil defense after the 2006 war, and providing a fully equipped fire truck in 2023. It has also organized events for national occasions, including Lebanon’s Independence Day each year, and has participated in Heritage Days.
Today, the world Lebanese Cultural union continues its involvement with Lebanese community organizations to coordinate a relief campaign aimed at gathering donations and support for Lebanon, as well as for Doctors Without Borders.
NCCAR is Celebrating November - Lebanese Heritage Month under the patronage of the Embassy of Lebanon, Ottawa.
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