Monday, October 31, 2016

Social and economic disparity in Beirut

Whereas it is no doubt that the political angle played a major role in the outburst of the war in Beirut maybe people forget that economic disparity also played a pivotal angle in the shaping and polarizing of the land (getting us to the fateful date of 1975). The frames above are stills from a Youtube movie (dating back to the early 1960s as per the description) juxtaposing a make-shift tent in Raouche right below the crown jewel of modernist architecture in Beirut - namely the Shams building designed by Joseph Philippe Karam. Once more, looking at the flagrant example of socioeconomic class difference displayed above, is a sober reminder of the "to have and have not" as applied to Beirut.