And we go on with those who remain

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

For some reason the song is not leaving my brain these days.

بدنا نكمل بللي بقيو

Here. Taken from the Rahbani play "Jbal Al Souwan".

We shall go on with those who remain.

The song reminds me of the war. By war I mean the 1975-1990 one - not the other iterations. Because Sawt Loubnan (Voix du Liban) would play it all the time.

Here is a former writing about Fairouz and the war (originally here).

It’s Fairouz again on the radio. She comes frequently between news flashes. The ex- militia man once pondered that Fairouz was a bad omen for the “boys on the front”, whenever she was on the radio a hundred of them were killed. Someone replied that it was the opposite that was true: It was when a hundred “boys” were killed that radio stations played songs by fairouz. They never did resolve that one. Just like many other things stayed unresolved. I always needed a straw for my bottle of “Crush”, it was too risky for me to drink directly from the bottle.

There is no sense explaining to you why the war flashbacks are going back to my mind. We all know why. And that incredible feeling of both, euphoria and powerlessness. Of missing normalcy, when the abnormal becomes normal and we have to live with it on day to day basis. Of insanity masquerading as daily life as I wait for the bread vendor who comes in his van and try to shield my elderly parent from how bad the night was in Beirut.

We shall go on with those who remain. Those who remained. The idiotic, imbecilic, pseudo-crazy ones who carry generational trauma and get on with it. In England they had the Blitz Spirit (here) some form of "just get on with it despite everything". In Lebanon we talk a lot about that wretched term "resilience". I am tired of resilience, but apart from going with those who remain, what else can we do?

Durex gets down and dirty with the dreamer artist

Well, I thought it was too heavy handed. A friend thought it was funny.

Whatever it is, it grabbed attention. Which I think is the point of any ad.

First see here.

Durex is inviting its users to hum and sing in their "fannan halman" (or dreamer artist) and send the users' partners songs "that have a second taste" (or basically that have innuendos!)... In the ad being used they quote Lebanon's diva Fairouz and the title of her song "ta3a w la tiji" (come, but just don't)...

Yes. I know. Knowing that usually Fairouz' daughter Rima Rahbani is always up in arms about her parents' (including father Assi Rahbani) legacy - I still have no clue what they reaction would be. Usually Ms. Rahbani has her mother's lawyer on speed dial.

The reason why I said it was heavy-handed however had nothing to do with Fairouz, I just thought the whole ad (and program) was a tad too much. But hey, as I said, it did attract attention, and from the posted comments - already some controversy. 

Almaza goes Fairouz for winter.

Almaza goes Fairouz.

Well, after celebrating summer in all possible ways, Almaza is now going winter time where beer drinking is much less ubiquitous. Interestingly, I'd love to see exactly how much units Almaza shifter as compared to before the crisis to see if people are considering beer as a luxury drink or not these days. But I digress, so back to Almaza in winter time - so they went back to the Fairouz staple and misquoted it saying: "I loved you in summer, I shall love you in winter". Does it work? Yes it does. 

For some reason I see this also as working for an air conditioning brand.... (looking through my archives to see if any done it prior).

Fairouz vs Elissa: Why is everyone forgetting that "Hanna el Sekran" is an Elias Rahbani song?

Image credit: Rima Rahbani

First the facts:

Ultra popular singer Elissa recently sang on stage a song. "Hanna el Sekran" (Hanna the drunk), altering the words "ysawer bint el jiran" (drawing the girl next door) to "yzabit bit el jiran" (screw the girl next door). 

Cue the uproar.

Enter Rima Rahbani daughter of iconic singer Fairouz who herself had a version of that song (and one of its most renowned interpretations of it). Who - in her usual - fiery but sometimes trashy replies put the blame above and beyond Elissa on her own cousin Oussama Rabhani (Oussama having organized the concert where the snafu happened). She is by the way, not only the daughter of Fairouz but also Assi Rahbani, one half of the super-song writing duo "Rahbani Brothers" (Assi and Mansour - Oussama being Mansour's son).

Yes, I know, quite complicated.

Now Rima is up in arms that no one should sing "her mother's songs". Which technically is not true. Because in the copyright laws once you pay the legal fees to the writers/composers you actually can. Plus in certain cases, performing publicly a song you can waive such rights.

The other problem? Hanna el Sekran is actually an Elias Rahbani composition (younger brother of the Assi and Mansour). Meaning neither of his eldest brothers had anything to do with it, and the first version was in the voice of the late (great) Melhem Barakat before Fairouz put her stamp on it. I digress, but one of Fairouz's songs I love best - El Bosta - was originally a Joseph Sakr song (written by Fairouz's son - legendary composer and writer Ziad Rahbani for him (Sakr) to interpret in one of Ziad's plays Nazl El Sourour).

Which brings us to - why is everyone forgetting that the song originally had nothing to do with either parents of Rima Rahbani?

This does not absolve Elissa. But also does not Absolve Rima either.

The only redeeming factor? Rima just published an updated photo of her mother arranging a flower in a vase. 

Swoon....

Lebanon: I go on with what remains

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

Today I find myself in a very introspective mood. Especially about the blog as such since it is my main public ticket or calling card. I am still here, can you believe it? I barely can. I mean everyone else who is left from the original crop of bloggers has gone to other countries (but still blogs about Lebanon), I think there's just one person only settled here apart from me who still blogs (and you did not hear it from me but his blog is not just some press releases which he puts there - not sure if paid or not).

Sure, it goes beyond saying that the situation here is incredibly testing. The several power cuts a day - and I am not even saying state electricity but rather the communal generator I subscribe to. The inflation, devaluation, etc. But also how international companies expect you to work for a pittance for projects, something which I have not subscribed to - my clients still pay my my regular price, thank you very much. Sure, projects have dwindled in terms of frequency but I rather remain fairly paid than have people pay me crumbs.
Do note, I understand why some people are doing it - they need to insure their families are fed, the bills are paid, the astronomical costs of living in Lebanon insured. I understand this and yes, I know of an engineer who went to Dubai to work for 500 USD a month. When a friend of his told him this is way below what is regular payment for his position he said "I'd rather be insulted there than here". This is how desperate things are.
But back to me. I never do things by half. So when I started the blog in January 2017 I certainly was in it for the long run, but of course, the whole market changed by then. People think they if you have an Instagram account or have become a Tiktoker than you have a "blog". You do not. And of course, at this point I am probably an antique remnant of a system. I still write. What I find odd is that there are people, as in a whole lot of people, who still read me.
These are difficult times. And no, I am not one of those who say that "change is around the corner, all we have to do is hold on tight". We still have a long row to hoe in Lebanon. Several years ahead before things start correcting themselves. Sure, we are now in the hardest part. But there is still a lot of hardship ahead. And here I am, still writing. Still forging ahead. Still running like a headless chicken on some of the days.
I explained before that family obligations basically make me remain in Lebanon, and went into detail about how am spending my days (reading, insuring mother’s meds are present, trying as best as possible to decrease commutes – covid oblige – and control finances as much as possible). And if I am writing this today it is with as much realism as possible – no false hopes or words to apply balm or fake promises – just the knowledge that this is another day and I am still here, still writing, and still standing.

As the Fairouz song says "minkammel billi be2you", we go on with those who remain.

And I am going on with what remains.

Bi Jnounak b7ebbak is our new winter tourism slogan.

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

Hold the presses, TBWA just announced that "bi jnounak b7ebbak" (I love you in your madness - a lyric from the Fairouz song "b7ebbak ya Lebnan" - up to my knowledge the song debuted in 1979 in the now iconic "Fairouz a l'Olympia" concert but I could be mistaken) is Lebanon's new winter tourism slogan. The below is from today's The Guardian newspaper:

"TBWA chief creative officer Walid Kanaan said it was “near-impossible” to find ways to market a country in the grip of multi-layered economic and political crises, but that he had found inspiration in Lebanon’s people.

“This is our country, a crazy country, crazy in its nightlife, crazy in its food and generosity. And no matter how crazy the situation in Lebanon is, we can only say, ‘we love you in your madness’,” Kanaan said, unveiling the slogan."

Now, with the Gulf nations not wanting their nationals coming to Lebanon, I am assuming the targeted audience might be Europeans. By the way, to be honest I am not aware if the slogan will be in Arabic or Latin (maybe this could define further the audience in question). Of course, perhaps - with people starting to speak about the slogan, and in extenso the country - maybe the campaign has started to show signs of strategic success, and if this translates into tactical and tangible results, so much the better.

In other news yesterday a Slovenian friend sent me this message: "I did not know things are this bad in Lebanon, Valerio and I scrapped our visit and I think we will just go to Rome."

Elias Rahbani RIP

 

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

Elias Rahbani passed way. Really I cannot even begin to state what this man did to popular Arabic music. I am not a musicologist but I am a researcher in pop culture and his influence cannot even begin to be measured, and no, not just the Fairouz repertoire - I am talking everyone else, the whole artists he fostered and those whose careers he pampered, or the greats he collaborated with (many of the late Sabah songs were his compositions!) not to mention advertising jingles galore (Barilla anyone?), or the songs he made for children (3ammi bou massoud) or the eternal theme songs (Allo? Hayete) and the list goes on!