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| Artwork by Tarek Chemaly part of the collective memory as national identity series |
When Ziad Rahbani passed away, and later Hali, both being sons of the legendary Fairouz (note, Fairouz also lost her daughter Layal in 1988), there was a new appreciation for Rima Rahbani and the role she played with her mother, protecting her privacy at all costs. At first, Rima was seen as "isolating" and "controlling" her mother's presence and image respectively. But the condolences - the very public, star-heavy one for Ziad, and the more private one for Hali - showed a different image. A daughter fiercely protective of her (let's face it) aging mother.
Sure, Rima is very vocal - insulting, harsh and brash - in her social media posts. It does not help that there is a major infighting among the family - specially the cousins (meaning heirs of Assi - now only Rima being alive - and heirs of Mansour) as to the ownership of the vast works present in the archive of what was billed "Rahbani brothers" which are fiercely incrusted in the Lebanese memory with the (mainly) Fairouz voice fronting their works. There were other singers to be precise - Hoda (Fairouz's sister) or later Ronza but none managed to hold a candle to the incomparable Fairouz.
Tomorrow marks the first commemoration of Ziad Rahbani's passing. I shall let other people be sycophants about him and his works (surely, I am a fan, but to me the music trumps all his plays that everyone speaks of). And Rima Rahbani, via her ever present lawyer, issued a major warning. There will be no tributes to Ziad. For her, people selling tickets, telling stories which may or may not be correct, using the name and the likeness are all no-nos. It is to note that yes, Rima did admit that at a certain point Ziad has a major falling out with his mother and her as well in the past (note, "Kifak Inta" was literally about what Fairouz said to him when he met her by accident at the gate of a building), but she (Rima) maintains it happens in all families and this does not give anyone a free pass to use and abuse of her late brother's name.
Thing is? I agree. But maybe not for the same reasons. Is Ziad Rahbani a legend? Is the Pope Catholic? Exactly. When my cousin smuggled the tape of "Ana Mish Kafer" from West Beirut during the war to us, listening to these songs was someone opening an elevator shaft in my mind. Brilliant lyrics, music that takes you to unconventional places, enough words to give the meaning without over doing things. But I digress. What I am saying is - Ziad does not need any of this.
The proof is that when he died there was such an outpour of genuine grief in the Arab world and in the diaspora as well, people were actually sending me messages of condolences. Note, I am not related to the family, nor am I a super-fan who can recite his plays by heart, but by virtue of being Lebanese and in Lebanon, people assuming I must be in deep mourning.
All of this is to say, that yes, Ziad - whose first commemoration of passing is tomorrow July 26, does not need any of the tributes people tried to milk out his name. Heck, he hated when people recognized him on the street and asked to greet him or for a selfie or what not. Want to honor Ziad? Cool. Keep listening to his works. Even if the plays are not my thing, the breathtaking "El Bosta" (here) sends me in an emotional uplifting frenzy every time I listen to it.
Rima is right, away from the legal angle she used, Ziad does not need your tributes.