RANA JOUNI

Lebanon- In the twon of Al-Kfour in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon, specifically in one of its inner neighborhoods, Zainab Safa continues her lifelong profession of livestock raising. She has never abandoned this rural craft, which has become part of her identity, to the point where she describes herself as "a lover of cows." She sees them as inseparable companions, friends who stayed by her side during the war. She fears for them as a father fears for his children, and she follows their daily routines, worried that a raid might fall on the pen and take their lives.

Zainab Safa, in her seventh decade, wakes up at six in the morning, starts her day with a quick cup of coffee, then heads straight to the cow barn. There she feeds her livestock, milks them, and cares for the young calves before moving to the field to collect herbs. She spends long hours among the cows and fields, to the point that she considers this her real life: a source of intimacy and tranquility, companions she talks to and who respond with a presence that lightens her daily worries.

Zainab Safa's activity never ceases. She did not know much about raising cows at the beginning, but with time she became accustomed to their presence until they became part of her day. She looks after them in the moments when she most needs comfort.

At the height of the war, obtaining production was a difficult task, but Zainab Safa affirms that she never gave up. "This must be resisted," she says.

Zainab Safa never abandoned her cows, even during wartime. "I would distribute the milk to the neighbors, and whatever was left I would make into cheese, dairy products, and traditional butter. I learned butter‑making during the war; I did not know it before. Whatever remains, I turn into preserved cheese with oil," she says.

The story of Zainab Safa is one of the tales of the south, and one of the stories of women who resist in their own way, affirming that they are women of the land and guardians of life.