Late Lebanese legendary filmmaker Maroun Baghdadi once said, “I come from a world where, strangely enough, the image has difficulty in spreading. It’s a world that has problems with its own image.” He went on to say that in Lebanon and the Arab world, the image can be considered a taboo, complaining that he had been sometimes accused of giving a “bad image” of the region in his movies. “This excites me,” he lashed back, “and encourages me to transmit my message through images even more.” Continue reading “When looking back hurts, really hurts”
“Please Don’t Forget Me!” “!بشرفكن ما تنسوني”
On September 16, yet again, Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square and some of the main roads leading to Lebanon’s Parliament building came back to life. The families of the Lebanese soldiers kidnapped by Daesh were reiterating their endless calls for the government to bring their sons, brothers and fathers back alive. Others were protesting against the government’s failure to resolve the garbage crisis in a sustainable and environmental way. But everyone was there demanding that the political class meeting under the guise of an unconstitutional, worthless, ineffective so-called national dialogue, start listening to its people, be held accountable, even step down and have mercy on a country they have used and abused for far too long. Continue reading ““Please Don’t Forget Me!” “!بشرفكن ما تنسوني””
Live from Beirut, from the beating heart of Beirut
I thought there would be no words to describe what happened in the streets of Beirut yesterday, but there are. Continue reading “Live from Beirut, from the beating heart of Beirut”
When in London, Join the Protest: On Lebanese Women and the Police Force
What began as preparations for a modest protest in London – in solidarity with the March 8 protest in Beirut for Lebanon’s Parliament to pass the Law Protecting Women from Family Violence – ended as an invaluable lesson in law enforcement, civics and the rule of law. Continue reading “When in London, Join the Protest: On Lebanese Women and the Police Force”
Even in Lebanon, Some Deaths are Preventable
Death is not something that is under our control, but sometimes it is… Continue reading “Even in Lebanon, Some Deaths are Preventable”
More Than Just a Demonstration
Some have weapons, others have their voice…
To those in Beirut, you may have already heard about the incident between the activists of NGO Nasawiya and the bodyguard thugs of former MP Nadim Gemayel (the illegal self-extension of Parliament, the term of which expired on June 20, 2013, has rendered all 128 MPs illegitimate). To the rest, a comprehensive version of the events, endorsed by Nasawiya, can he found here.
Eye on the East 