Straight outta Lweibdeh
Last weekend, Malahi, an artistic events agency founded by Shermine Sawalha, organised a Jabal Lweibdeh walk called “Kazdara” – a public invitation for people from all around Amman to come and see what the area had to offer. Thousands came, and Lweibdeh was never this lively. Everybody was touring the neighborhood, hopping from one place to another, and using Malahi’s comprehensive attractions map to guide them. For Kazdara, Jobedu and Feesheh put together a jamming session in front of the store that brought together a score of musicians who added a super unique soundtrack to the festivities. Many visitors discovered more about the creative treasures their city holds in a span of a few hours than they probably did for years.
But not everyone sees Lweibdeh’s development as all rainbows and butterflies. Although the economic benefits are surely felt by many residents, there are those who feel like outcasts in their own neighborhood. During Kazdara I was approached by an elderly resident of Lweibdeh who asked me if this event was part of the movement to displace local residents with foreigners.
Continue reading on The Black Iris
What we really need now? A politics of love
Once, Israeli academic Yael Berda and I came up with an expression: “politics of love.” We never really got down it to its basics — we never needed to; somehow we both knew what we meant. According to this kind of politics, first and foremost, you feel sad when you hear that a man and a woman — parents of four children — were shot to death. You feel it in your body, and your feet have a hard time walking. And you cannot help but think about that four-month old girl who will never know her mother. Even if her mother made choices that I would not make, ones that I believe make other peoples’ lives difficult and prevent them from living a life of dignity — even then the politics of love mourn her.
Continue reading on +972 Mag
If Game of Thrones were set in Lebanon
Game of Thrones is one of those shows you can’t seem escape, even if you try. Everyone’s always talking about it. So you figure you’ll give it a chance. The next thing you know you’re watching the entire series for the sixth time and weeping over the love Daenerys has for her dragons. And if you’re anything like me, you like to imagine excessively sadistic social experiments where you imagine people you hate in real life try to survive in Westeros. So from the depths of my imagination I bring you: If Game of Thrones Were Set In Lebanon.
Continue reading on Beirut.com
