Whomever the "Lebanese Leftists" are, their sense of design is impeccable

A cleaned up version (by Tarek Chemaly) of the posters on Beiruti walls 

Yes, we all heard about the posters being plastered in Beirut, yes, apparently they may or may not be related to the Hizb, yes, it seems that their design might or might not stem from the Hizb flag, yes, the saying on the said posters (between you and us, days and nights and the battlefield) might or might not be related to the said Hizb again. This being said, what an impeccable design. The poster is signed "Lebanese Leftists" whomever those may be, but the throwback to the early designs of political posters (I invite you to see Zeina Maasri's site Signs of Conflict - here - which agglomerates posters dating back to the Lebanese war from many political parties and organizations) is simply beautiful. Clear signals, minimal elements, striking colors, and single-minded messaging, along with some very respectable typography. Seriously, that is one masterful exercise of graphic design.

Politics in Lebanon: Let's hear it from Ricardo Karam, Makram Rabah and Alexadre Paulikevitch

Make love not war - Artwork by Tarek Chemaly date 2018

Politics in Lebanon. You are always torn between a rock and a hard place. I know people who wanted to liberate Lebanon from Syrian influence but also loved Saudi Arabia which basically was the de facto power which gave the Syrians a free hand in Lebanon. I know others who hate Israel viscerally and also hate the hizb with the same zeal, even if technically if it is the hizb that chased the neighboring power away. Of course, the current negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are not going anything to end the beef between the two factions. Accusations of being defeatists to traitors, are slung from both sides.

So everyone is right and everyone is wrong. As Alexandre Dumas eloquently said in The Count of Monte-Christo, "The difference between treason and patriotism is only a matter of dates". Yet, take it from someone who no longer votes - because, no, voting with a blank vote means you believe in the process but not the candidates, when all the process makes no sense to me at this point - yes, everyone's point of view does make sense. Even if each side has no idea what to do with the other.

Recently, Ricardo Karam, who is a respected media figure, basically stated - and I am giving you the gist of it - that he considers Hezbollah a Lebanese political party that is represented in Parliament, arguing that this is a "factual reality" rather than a political declaration. Makram Rabah, assistant professor at the American University of Beirut was having none of it, in a recent publication (here), he went all out against Karam, emphasizing the many literal martyrs AUB has offered to Lebanon, and - considering Karam was part of the board of trustees of the university, and in light of the recent threats to the university to have it bombed - it being at the forefront of the American values in Lebanon (supposedly, and it is my Alma Mater too as a full disclosure) - to Rabah that a major no-no.

Which brings Alexandre Paulikevitch to the melee. Pauliketvitch, a Lebanese artist, is nothing but the major antithesis of everyone ultra conservative. Like him or not, he expresses himself on stage in ways that might ruffle too many feathers. Lately, in an interview, Paulikevitch dressed in what seemed like a Y2K floral feminine top, said that he hinds himself confused. He had always had a major hate-hate relationship with the Hizb. But he also finds that they are truly the only power capable of chasing Israel away. And now he finds himself defending them as a "resistance" all while understanding that he represents all the liberal ideals they hate.

Paulikevitch makes sense. The problem? So does Karam and Rabah. "I see both sides like Chanel" said Frank Ocean. And I can, I swear. Oh scratch that, I can see all sides, not just both. 

Recently, I was hoping to do the major weed clearing behind my property and perhaps putting some cement to cut the weeds from returning, my Dutch friend said that "the government of the Netherlands is encouraging people to keep such spaces, so that insects can grow" to which I replied "can the government of the Netherlands please come and do the weed pulling then? I pay 5 USD per hour".

You see, away from the major threatening problems engulfing Lebanon, for some of us like Voltaire ended Candide, "but we must cultivate our garden".

Here's some more anonymous politics

Ah, and the saga continues. Please meet the newest unsigned campaign hitting Lebanon. And mind you this campaign is everywhere. On whose dime? Who is paying for this? Who is booking this? Who is designing this? And to what end purpose? Just add it to the mystery campaigns piling up in Lebanon "anonymously" with no clear politics party/entity/movement sponsoring it publicly. Of course, all of this adds to the murkiness of the message and there's even a hashtag associated with it, but all of this is a little shady since no one knows who is posting it For the non-Arabophones the message goes "my belonging/loyalty is to my country Lebanon".

Political mercantilism, again, in Lebanon

 So here it is, I have no idea who published this (not signed) for what occasion (also not specific), but as mercantilism goes in politics in Lebanon, this is a "passepartout" - it could work for any occasion, any political party. For a second I thought it was about the latest municipal elections (the sign says "thousand thousand thank yous") as posted by whomever won said elections. But as I said, could be anything and anyone, in the quagmire of Lebanese politics, it always works. Interestingly, this was a one off - meaning only saw it once. So who knows?

Politics - Mix and mismatch

I admit it has been long since I shot ads throughout town in vivo. But here you go - Politics is everywhere. There are signs from the time of the war in 2024, there is a sign for electing a president (apparently 2 days from now on the 9th of January), there are signs with neutrality signed by Paulette Yagopian aka Paula Yacoubian (see here), and one by Lebanese Forces (or is this Kataeb?) with "Lebanon first" as a message (which is not too far off from the Yagopian/Yacoubian one) and all of this begs the question - who is paying for this and with what money. Because many message stand there, with hashtags and all, yet there is no party/politician/entity signing with a logo. Obviously my arms are not long enough to pursue the financial paper trail, but even that - it could be a company owned by a company owned by another to hide the actual source. I still find this very interesting truth be told, how messages are plastered, both innocently enough and meaningfully enough yet no one tells us who plastered though and for what purpose.

AnNahar AI president? Great until things get real

So AnNahar introduced the first AI president for Lebanon. Look on the one hand this is a very laudable initiative in a country with no president, a caretaker government, and parliament which - well is not very active. In their own words: The new AI president of Lebanon has been created by training Large Language Models on 90 years of impartial journalism from AnNahar since the 1930's. It analyses not only the historical data provided through the pages of AnNahar but also current events, and formulates answers for all political, legal and government questions. By tapping into this vast knowledge base, the AI president has a deep understanding of Lebanon's past, as well as an unbiased perspective on the challenges that the country faces today.

Now, I am going to bypass the "impartial journalism" thingy because I know things that are not fit to print which might make one reconsider the term. But still, I can understand the hype and the innovative aspect of the operation. Good on them doing it.

Now, big question: Why not apply that to real life? I mean if you already did it in the abstract why not apply it on the ground. We already have the perfect president allegedly so let's go and just elect the "person" (note I am not specifying the gender - here's hoping!).

Which brings us to how murky the Lebanese politics is. I am often asked about the late Rafic Hariri and my answer is always that watching politics from the sideline in Lebanon is one thing, being involved in it is another. Hariri was a prime example of that - he was eager to join the Lebanese politics, until he did. And discovered how everything was a gigantic quid pro quo - every project, no matter how beneficial to the population became a quagmire of profit-sharing, every this, that etc.... Which again divorces the theory of politics from its practical aspect.

Actually the word politics stems from Greek - polis and ethos: polis is the heart of the fortress and ethos is ethics. So the word basically means "the ethics of living in a community", which basically does not account for the former and current and most likely future politicians in Lebanon. But still, here we are. 

In a post dating July 16, 2015 I suggested the following about Abou Fouad, the (now sadly dead) face of Yes detergent:

So there, Abou Fouad goes to Washington, or rather Baabda.... Our household extraordinaire is exceptional in being cost-efficient, multitasker, a good council, he is diplomatic, has a million tricks up his sleeve. And frankly, between the available options, I says "yes" to Abou Fouad (pardon the pun!)... The campaign is on ladies and gentlemen!

Alternatively we could always have... (image dated May 24, 2014)

Life goes on, no, not the TV show.

So life goes on.

Yesterday was a full day - I made an extension to the solar panels (considering am off the grid, please see here). Also with the state electricity as erratic and non-existent as ever, and with the solar panel industry in Lebanon still picking up speed (here) and with communal generators being obnoxiously expensive, there seems to be very little options left. 

A family I know uses generator as a back up to the solar panels, meaning they use it just to fill the batteries from time to time. No matter, if I am saying "Life goes on" it is because really, I am not going to wait for the developments of the region to settle down for me to keep my things happening. Actually I was asked why do it now? Why not wait and see where the "wind blows"? my answer was "what if I keep waiting and waiting and nothing happens, winter will come soon and I need to have energy to warm the house and all that". 

Which bring us to the TV show "Life goes on" - LBC, a great show built around Corky (portrayed by actor Chris Burke) who had Down's Syndrome and his family (note that Burke had Down's Syndrome too). The only other time where "Wind Beneath My Wings" was sung to full-effect apart from the - debatable - movie "Beaches". Please do see about the show here. 

But again, these are some of the things you learn from having experienced war. You just go with life and live it. I once wrote in a poem something to the effect of "I saved something for later, but later never came to pick it up". And so here we are, solar panels doubled in the hope of bringing more energy into the house.

Roadster - fajita nachos self-depreciation is a winner

I have spoken about the subtle art of self-depreciation in advertising prior (here). Roadster has just added a gem to the annals. While talking about how good their fajita is, they managed to do a smart take on themselves, on the audience, and in extenso on the fajitas themselves.

"80% of people gave our fajita nachos a 10. But those are the same 80% who re-elected our politicans. You be the judge"

I mean seriously, is there any better dig on all fronts? 

Self-branding: Noblesse Difficile as an example

The poster above appeared in 2008 for a woman posting her candidacy for the Beirut municipality as an independent. Her name is "Nabila Mohammad Saab" Fathallah (Fathallah being her married name). Her main slogan (in French mind you) was "noblesse difficile" - how come? Well "nabila" is "noble" and "saab" is "difficult" as a direct translation. Put 2 and 2 together or name/surname together and what do you get? "difficult nobility" or "noblesse difficile". Underneath there were plenty of hearts printed on pink papers.

"Faith in God and the country (heart) education and culture (heart) Love and affection 

A  complete building = man + woman"

The image above is obviously a composite from my archive. Actually I was so fascinated by this poster I tore it out and kept it. I always think of it as an intriguing relic. Both avant-garde and retro. Remember, in 2008 most politicians had transitioned to digital campaigning and images printed with large budgets and those who did not have budgets at least managed to get them designers (sometimes in the printing presses) to do layouts for their campaigns and all.

But Mrs Saab (Fathallah) put her passport photo all with shiny 80s earrings and a floral dress (florals for elections? groundbreaking!) and obviously her own copy because I doubt anyone could have come up with something so kitsch (and anyone who knows me knows I love kitsch) which is so totally her but also so totally out of this world.

If I am writing this today it is because the issue of self-branding is so fascinating for me. Just look at linkedin, the major outlet for self-promotion. I have a hobby, every so often I go there, look at the profiles the system is suggesting for me and see how they "brand" themselves. What titles do they give themselves - rational, totally out there, ego-based? Possibilities are endless.

Of course, most of the time I am not exactly impressed. I myself say I am a "think tank and multimedia artist" which honestly, means anything and everything and tries to blend the wacky artistic experiments I do with the fact that I do research most of the day (not always being paid to do it - this blog is a major example).

Still, sometime in 2016 I went on a major "digital restructuring" operation. I was spread too thin in sub-brands (my publishing arm had a name, the blog had a different name, my films had a further different nom de plume (or nom de director) and so on...). I simply tried to shed all these entities to agglomerate them  under the umbrella of - what else? - "Tarek Chemaly".

I know it seems obvious, but trust me for a long time it was not. Call it convoluted circumstances. But still, now that it is done, it makes - ahem - sense. Now before anyone starts assuming things - no, the "Tarek Chemaly" is not, Tarek Chemaly. And before anyone starts thinking I am talking philosophy - you know the eternal French conundrum of "l'etre et le paraitre" (the difference between what is, and what is seen) - I mean the "brand" is not the man behind it.

I let you see what I want you to see, and - again believe it or not - people think that what I am allowing them to see is what is actually behind the image. Of course, we all do that as humans. Project and imago which is not the person. But to many, image and person are one and the same with little distinction. In my case, it is a little bit more complicated. 

But this does not mean I am "lying" or "misleading". I simply divide myself upon my audiences. Very few people get to see certain aspects of me. Lately however, a student of mine who came back from France told me "you scared me the first day I saw you. When all of us were trying to hide behind masks, there you were, parading yourself unafraid of who you were". Does this mean I told her my utmost secrets and showed her sides of me only very close people know? No. But it also means I was not trying to be someone I was not or projecting the image of someone who is not "me" (or the "me" I wanted to project to students).

Well, there are numerous books, treatises and articles written on self-branding. This one does not pretend to solve the riddle. But to me "noblesse difficile" will always remain that fascinating exhibit. A testimony of someone who knew who they were and what they wanted to portray and how to portray that. And in itself, this is self-branding.

Dear Dr. Farid El Khazen, we need to talk

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

There are in Lebanon two politicians of the same name, Farid El Khazen. Both hail from the same village in Kesserwan. To distinguish them the locals call them "Farid Elias" and "Farid Haykal" after their respective fathers' name. The former is originally an academic, the second is continuing his family's political history. I shall concentrate this article on Dr. El Khazen and specifically his book "Lebanon: The breakdown of the state 1967-1976" - 1976 being already a year into the war that would end in 1990 or what we call "the great war" as there were many other mini-wars after it in Lebanon.

In 2005, I met with Dr. El Khazen in a social function. At the time he was an MP in Lebanon representing the Free Patriotic Movement (please do glance at his Wikipedia entry here), and I asked him if we are - again - at the breakdown of the state. And he point blank answered "no".

I wish I can speak to him once more and ask him the same question, because at this stage, I do feel his answer might be different. Are we at the breakdown of the Lebanese state - again? I believe we are. The public sector is barely functioning, their salaries are a pittance. However increasing those salaries, will require printing more money, and printing more money will increase the already through-the-roof inflation, which means their salaries will go back to being a pittance because goods are too expensive to buy (and at this point am talking basic goods).

We have at this point no president of the republic since General Aoun's term finished at the end of last month, our caretaker government has been hanging by a thread (a new government should have  been formed back in May immediately after the new parliamentary elections but in Lebanon the process takes ages, and the government became a de facto caretaker since then). The armed forces, like the rest of the public sector, are now earning barely anything despite some "financial reinforcements" that came from the US at some point to encourage personnel to keep attending their positions.

Oh and the "oil and gas" thing? Well this years and years down the line. Right now this is just a fallacy, a dream. The education system, which already was under immense pressure - and here I am speaking of the official educational system with the Lebanese University included - is now in complete tatters with the pandemic and all other factors only increasing the stress on is fragile structure.

If I am writing all of this it's because I feel all this is a repeat (as a tragedy or farce to go back to the Karl Marx quote, I know not) of the dreadful experience that Dr. El Khazen has spoken of in his book. The shape of the Lebanon that will come from this experience is still unknown. I mentioned this quote prior (here and here as examples) but Russian writer Alexander Herzen did say "the departing world leaves behind it not an heir, but a pregnant widow".

As I write these lines there is still no expected delivery date.

Michel Aoun: A rally for a departing president

Now here's a bit of political mercantilism. Now that president Aoun last presidency days are coming (October 30th). Now there is a rally to support him once he is no longer president. Interestingly, we still did not manage to elect a president - because obviously, if you are in Lebanon, it is a very convoluted process where everyone would have to agree on the person in question... Still, interesting that president Aoun after taking so many twists and turns and having had the back luck of having so many crises during his presidency (financial, pandemic, and hoard of personal issues etc....) would want to still be a very active in the political game considering he is - with all due respect - a man of advanced age. But hey. that's Lebanon for you.

Fifty Fifty wants a government in Lebanon which is half female ministers. Yes, but...

Why is it always that I see the flip side of good news. Heck, I was a feminist before it was cool to be so! But here we go. Fifty Fifty which tirelessly fights for the representation of women in the political spheres - sometimes much more effectively in terms of tone of voice than others (compare here to here) has launched a campaign whereby there'd be a government composed of 50% women ministers. 

Do note, I am all for it, and I am sure there are a lot of women worthy of the positions (of which Fifty Fifty found quite a bunch). If you want to find some of their choices please head here.

As usual, I have a "but"....

To soften the blow I'd say "yes, but..."

A lot of these women suggested by Fifty Fifty are already direct descendants of the usual political families (Chamoun, Gemayel, Yafi) or are close - as in very close - to established political figures (Kaskas, Ekmekji). Please note, I am writing this while trying not to throw shade at these women's achievements, talents and political expertise.

But the fact that these women and others (I am trying not to single these women out of the ones mentioned in the Fifty Fifty ad) were suggested leaves me wondering if at any one point we can actually leave the old political nomenclature already established in Lebanon.

But, come to think of it, a female from a certain political family/party in Lebanon at this point, is not capable of doing a worse job that a male member of her family/party.

So heck, I am all for these women!

Elections 2022: Khat Ahmar goes out in full force

Well it turned out that Khat Ahmar is already spoofing the Lebanese Foces (remember that teaser?)! Now Khat Ahmar is one of the civil organizations that were bequeathed by the October 17 2019 movements/revolution. Their motto is simple "kellon ya3ne kellon" (all of them means all of them). So they want to restart from scratch. To prove it they are attacking the two main Christian factions, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces.

"There are those who team up with Berri (head of parliament Nabih Berri) and does not vote with him

There are those who do not team up with Berri and vote for him

And there are those who team up with no one and against all of them means all of them"

"There are those against family heritage but bring in the son in law (in reference to Gibran Bassil, who is the son in law of the President Michel Aoun and leader of the latter's party)

And there are those who are against the son in law but bring in the wife (in reference to Sethrida Geagea, wife of Sami, head of the Lebanese Forces)

And there are those who are with the competence and against all of them means all of them"

"There are those who are against corruption but are allies of Joumblatt (in reference to Walid, head of the Progressist Socialist Party and de facto leader of the Druze faction)

There are those who say they are against Joumblatt but ally themselves with corruption

And there are those who are against corruption and against all of them means all of them"

Yes, I am aware that is a lot of explanation for ads that normally should be swallowed more easily. The other thing is that, at this point KhatAhmar has positioned itself as an "against" but did not declare what it wanted or more to the point, how it wanted it done (incredibly complex in the current political topography of the Lebanese scene). If this "manifesto" is any indication, Khat Ahmar better sober up.

In Lebanon, there is no political advertising

Elections/Whining - artwork by Tarek Chemaly

I said this before here - but now is the time to repeat it since we have elections coming up supposedly on March 27 2022.
"Again to be clear - what happened last year (or any year for that matter regarding political "advertising" in Lebanon) is not actually advertising. Why?
Because any advertising has three functions:
1 - To introduce a product
2 - To inform about its availability in the "market"
3 - To sway the target audience to get the product
You may apply this from FMCG to politicians it works all the way. Except that in Lebanon, political parties talk only to the people who "already" believe in their cause - just look at these Kataeb samples to prove my point!
So if they are not advertisements, what are they?
I know not - but I know that advertising agencies are already praying that anticipated elections happen! In these dire economic times, selling false hopes lines their pockets with money."

Elections 2022, Nahwal Watan - a parliamentary election avant-gout

And here we are - let the money-spending begin.

What saved the ad industry in 2018 in Lebanon was that - suddenly, money starting coming in due to all the advertising campaigns of political parties (you might wish to see the best and worst ads of the time here). And so here we are after the disastrous 2019, 2020, and 2021 for advertising agencies, money will soon come back again.

Actually, as I stated at the beginning of the post, it already has. The billboards are flooded with the ads of Nahwal Watan - if you like to meet them, go their website here. Please do note, this post is not an assessment of who they or what they stand for, but simply involved in the media/advertising angle. Well, what Nahwal Watan did is gain on the element of being early. While everyone else is still dormant they took over the scene with their presence, though I do wonder if they did it too early to be honest.

The other thing is that they went for generic run of the mill messages. Nothing groundbreaking - their tone is that of optimism (we shall not surrender, this time we will decide, people have decided change has started) but it is all dipped in mostly dark visuals. 

Well, whether or not Lebanon is living in a fate-changing moment politically remains to be seen though. I said it before (here) and will say it again: " The average Joe is just a culprit as anyone else. Because, and I have said this many times prior, corruption is not a one sided affair. It implicates more than one person. We have been cursed by a combination of crooked politicians but also by people who follow them, and the slogan everyone spit out on October 17 2019, "kellon ya3ne kellon" (everyone means everyone) basically meant "except the guy I follow myself"."

Charbel Nahas will hold a Zoom meeting on April 9th.

Time to make up your choice!

This from the media directorate of Mouwatinoun wa Mouwatinat fi dawla:

The collapse has accelerated in the past months in an unprecedented way, is a warning that the situation will slide into tragic paths that push this society to war or disintegration. The collapse is still seen by many, either lightly or arrogantly. The authorities are still arrogant and wasting resources, as well as waiting for an external decision and financial aid. Meanwhile, the conflicting powers, regionally and internationally, do not view Lebanon as a priority in the midst of all open conflicts in the region. As for the opposition, it still refuses to assume any kind of responsibility at this stage, waiting for its demands to be fulfilled automatically or hoping for a great victory in the so-called parliamentary elections next year.

Today, more than ever, we need to join hands with all of us to enhance the chances of our proposal by imposing a peaceful transfer of power laying different foundations from all previous decades. Today we are at a distant juncture similar to danger, as we are on days of painful remembrance, the anniversary of the start of the sectarian war on April 13th. In its fifteen years, this joint established the system that we know today, which is based on clientelism, nepotism and sectarianism. Some may think that the events that preceded April 13 are radically different from what is happening today, but we are actually passing through a similar phase, with its headings of impotence of power, dependence on outside forces, surrender and popular despair.

And because the time has come for everyone to decide which side they are on, the movement launches an electronic campaign under the slogan "A time to make up your mind," stressing that we have decided our choice by peace as an alternative to the war option, which we are sliding towards helplessness and escaping responsibility. We will provide you with the details of the campaign in an extraordinary session on Friday, April 9, at 8:30 pm. In it, Secretary-General Charbel Nahas will talk about the latest political developments and the movement’s directions and initiatives in the next phase. The Movement’s Media Directorate will also present the campaign’s details and the importance of the participation of comrades as well as supporters in the production, presence, and participation of the campaign’s activities.

In addition to your necessary presence for this session, we invite you to invite your friends who are interested in presenting the movement, especially those who have come close to making their choices at this critical and critical stage.

In order to receive the session link, it is necessary that you register through the following link

Lebanon had a KFC in 1973 (which proves that the golden age never existed!)

So, apparently, we had a KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) branch in Beirut in 1973.

This is news to me. Not the least because when KFC was introduced to the Lebanese market sometime in the 90s (apologies, have no exact date) they forgot to say that it was a re-introduction to the market. So, I know what you are thinking: Lebanon in the "golden age" and cosmopolitan Beirut at the height of its glory, when the country was "the Switzerland of the Middle Middle East" and "Beirut, the Paris of the orient".

OK, now chill.

I found the ad in an old Annahar issue Dated December 1rst, 1973, when Lebanon was navigating its umpteenth political crisis - if it was not a strike, it was the government falling apart, if it was not the Palestinian fidais, it was an Israeli infiltration, if it was not the president threatening to step down, it was the Prime Minister stepping down, if it was not journalists being arrested, killed or kidnapped, it was the whole convoluted Arab situation where Lebanon always had a dog (but no arms) in the fight.

As a matter of fact, that particular issue of Annahar has a "manchette" that read: "International movement to stop reignition of the fight" in an allusion about the then flammable situation between Egypt and Israel.

Which brings us back to KFC. Actually, what I was doing was researching an artistic project which had a very large "political" angle. And as usual, my findings confirmed by central theory: The was not just one Lebanon, not even a country "a deux vitesses" (on two speeds), but rather on 100 different speeds.

Ads for Christmas regalia cohabitated with political crises, news about political misadventures stood side by side with new play reviews or artists inaugurating their exhibitions at hip galleries with lovely words by the late May Menassa. Confusing? Yes. But doesn't it remind you of anything?

Well, Lebanon has always been this odd, strange, cacophony of voices which happen to live in a land smaller than the Disney World parking lot. Of course it is exhausting, tiring, trying, and exasperating. But digging through so much archive (I admit, more than the original project needed), only made me too aware of the never-ending cycle of political issues of Lebanon. Even through its so-called "golden age", which I repeat - to me never existed (case in point, all those political issues and that teetering at the edge of the abyss we always experienced).

And hey since we are on lockdown they had a day and night delivery service, all you have to do is call 319810-312513. Hmmm, make mine hot please.

Massoud "Poussy" Achkar RIP

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly

Massoud "Poussy" Ackhar has passed away from covid complications. He leaves behind what every Lebanese politician wishes to leave - an excellent name, a legacy unharmed by bribery or theft, and a untainted history of patriotism which no one can dispute, and better - he transcended the murky water of politics, machinations, to become a symbol everyone agrees upon across the Christian aisle. May he rest in peace. 

AUB: To have WHAT more abundantly?

La lil 10% la lil imperyaliye
(Artwork by Tarek Chemaly from the series Abou Fouad)

Well, the AUB motto is (and it is etched in marble on its main gate): "So that they may have life, and have it more abundantly"... The title of this post comes from an article in the sadly now dead Campus Newspaper when there was an open clash between the students and the Internal Security Forces (circa 1994) at the AUB grounds due to tuition hike. Yesterday the same scenario happened it seems. This time the clash was with the riot police.

Like everything, there was the students' version (inflammatory in tone), the AUB version (completely antagonistic and exonerating to the University), the armed forces version (no official statement), and the truth. Do note that 800 AUB employees were sacked not long ago, although some of the said employees did go back voluntarily after the August 4 explosion to help with the massive scale of the hurt people (without pay mind you).

This being Lebanon one cannot isolate problems, the devaluation of the currency, while some bits of the economy still work on the 1515 Liras peg while others are dealing with the banks' 3900 and others with the black market rate of more than 8000 makes it a total Capernaum. That the economy is not just teetering at the edge of the abyss but rather being in the total abyss makes any decision - even if financial survival depended on it - very politically tricky, and no doubt, want it or not AUB is politically connected on all levels (see here and here).

To be clear though, although AUB is my Alma Mater, I am - apart from giving the occasional lecture there based on kind invitations - very far removed from the atmosphere. But what is certainly true is that - with MEA only accepting fresh Dollars for their tickets - the point of no return has been reached in Lebanon. 

Interestingly one of the most famous protest slogans "la lil 10% la lil imperyaliye" comes from the famous semester long the AUB students held in 1974. No for the 10% no for imperialism....

Dod El Fasad, against corruption: Are we holding the stick from the wrong end?

Dod El Fasad (against corruption) - a worthy initiative for sure. One of its own backers, USJ, just a had a major hand fight between students loyal to the Lebanese Forces and those loyal to the Hezbollah. Which goes to tell you that we are a long way off from the objectives of such initiatives. Sure, statistics did say that only 8% of Lebanese youth belong to political parties, but this does not cover those whose parents indoctrinate them without the need to belong to the party, or those who grow in areas specifically loyal to a certain party, or those already subjected to peer pressure, and the list continues. Because fighting corruption is not something up in the air, it is a day to day level of civism which - let us be honest - we  have not reached yet. All this makes me wonder about the efficiency of such campaigns (and not just the advertising ones) which are backed by international and local partners.