Rami Ollaik

Rami Ollaik was born on November 2nd, 1972, to a couple from the South of Lebanon. He lived in Nabatiyeh with his growing family until the Civil War broke out in 1975, consequently forced to seek refuge in different areas of the country. At the age of 14, he joined the ranks of Hezbollah. A militant party that was established in the area during the Civil War, it initially grew as resistance against the multiple growing powers both from within the country and from the outside; and Rami was greatly devoted to the cause. He was quick to adopt these ideals into his personal life, and lived very conservatively for several years, and was able to move up quickly within party ranks. As a hard-worker, he was highly valued among his peers and within the party.

He studied Law at the Lebanese University, and Agriculture at the American University of Beirut, a decision stemming from his family’s history of beekeeping. He continued the family’s work, later on obtaining a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics and a PHD in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida. A blackmail attempt by the FBI got him deported from the United States, and he was forced to finish his studies remotely. A very studious individual, he continued to engage himself in apicultural research and began teaching Beekeeping at the American University of Beirut, introducing the curriculum for the first time. His areas of concentration include sustainable beekeeping practices and integrated planning for setting honey and hive products standards. He also looks to find honeybee race improvements in the Arab region through integrated pest management and developing synergies between apiculture and crop production. Achieving milestones in the beekeeping field, he was able to visit many countries, organizing and participating in national and international beekeeping conferences.

Around 1997 Rami severed his ties with Hezbollah, resolving against the fundamentalist approach to change and looking rather to an all-inclusive movement against the corrupt politics that rule Lebanon. His decision to do so put him in an extremely vulnerable position, and made him an enemy of the Shiite community. Despite the opposition and threats to his security, he persisted onwards. He adopted morals centered around love, peace, and non-discrimination. He did this through deep reflection on the nature of different religions and the environment around him.

He has written a number of acclaimed pieces of literature, including his first novel, The Bees Road. It is an autobiographical piece telling the story of the birth of his fundamentalist ideologies, to the death of them and his experiences in the United States. He signed on with Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency in New York, leading to a French translation of the novel published in Paris. Rami later went on to write two sequels to the novel, Under the Green Waters and Lost in the Barn. The Bees Road isa trilogy of his trials and tribulations, and tells the amazing story of a human conflicted.

Currently, Rami resides in Beirut, his work being his main drive. He is a member of the Beirut Bar Association, a professor at AUB, and is also working on his cause of writing and activism. His publishing house, The Bees Road, is a publishing hub for novels by Lebanese citizens about Lebanon, ranging in genre from non-fiction pieces to manuals such as Your Guide to Beekeeping. He is also involved in politics, and aims to establish the grounds for a national civil movement through past campaigns such as 10 October and Lebanon Ahead. He is currently working alongside the organization United for Lebanon, or متحدون.