And I thought going down to Beirut from Jounieh was a nightmare… Imagine driving from Beijing to Paris in a car manufactured in 1964. Not your average cup of tea. Then again, long drives with no traffic are one of my favorite things to do. That’s why you’ll find me in four different corners of tiny Lebanon on the same weekend. I love driving through Lebanon, and always discover new places and things to do. Imagine driving across Asia and Europe over 35 grueling days. The things one must see!
There is something about cars that is uniquely liberating. Even though we board airplanes across hemispheres, trains across continents and boats across oceans, there is nothing like the control and freedom a car with a full tank grants us. What would take our ancestors days or weeks needs a few hours now, and even though we take that for granted, cars have changed the world in ways our ancestors could have never fathomed.
Meet Charbel Habib
Charbel Habib is a Lebanese vintage car enthusiast that owns over 40 classic cars that include Porsches, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bugattis. He will embark on this epic journey with his co-driver Walid Samaha.
Every car Habib has meticulously restored has its own story, and the choice for the Peking-Paris Rally is the timeless Porsche 356C, the predecessor of the iconic Porsche 911. Anyone who’s been in one of those cars manufactured when your parents were just kids, knows it’s far from a smooth ride. Imagine driving through the hinterlands of China, Russia, Mongolia and throughout Europe in one of those cars. To make things even more interesting, if the car breaks down or needs repairs, it’s the team that needs to fix it themselves on-site, making an already monumental feat even more challenging.
The Peking-Paris Race
109 years after its first instalment, the Peking-Race has attracted over 100 teams from across the world that will participate in this 35-day race across continents. The only Lebanese and Arab team is Mr Habib’s, which is the main reason why this has got me so excited.
I envy Mr Habib for being able to be part of this mind-blowing race on a route that makes the ancient silk road look easy, but luckily, we have the Internet now and I’ll be closely following his progress starting June 12th on his Facebook page, Instagram account and Twitter feed.
The race will start at the foot of The Great Wall of China on June 12th, and will wrap up at the finish line on Place Vendome in the French capital on July 17th (if you’re in Paris then, make sure you check that out!)
This is team Lebanon’s car!
I wish Mr Habib and Mr Samaha the best of luck, and safe travels across this absolutely fantastic route! It’s a nice boost of serotonin seeing Lebanon’s flag somewhere other than a protest or elections banner.
Make sure you follow team Lebanon’s journey on their Facebook page, Instagram account and Twitter feed. I’ll also try to get you an interview with the team when they’re somewhere in Mongolia and after they reach their destination safe and sound!
Elections. We haven’t had those in quite a while, huh? But, for all their imperfections, outdated law and slow and questionable counting process, they were extremely important.
With over two years of not electing a president, an illegitimate parliament that has illegally extended for itself, twice since 2009, municipal elections were a very welcome chance to gauge the political environment in Lebanon. It was also important in knowing if one should have any hope in the foreseeable future. On both counts, these elections delivered.
Below, I will detail my impressions in each of the governorates I visited with my good friend Marwan Maalouf, with local friends helping us navigate the complex landscape of municpal elections everywhere from Beirut, to Chouf and Aley, Kesserwan, Jbeil, Batroun, Tripoli and my hometown of Zgharta.
Issues-Focused Voting
The Naameh Lanfill
For once, voters in different municipalities were thinking about the issues, not the people. Nowhere else was this more pronounced than in the Chouf and Aley districts. Many towns lie in the vicinity of the highly toxic, untreated “Naameh” landfill. These towns have been smelling and seeing what the rest of us have for the past 9 few months, for the past 18 years. Can you imagine 18-year-old university kids from towns like Baawarta who were born and grew up in the stench and shadow of this gargantuan dump?
What was important, is that months after the garbage crisis began and the public unrest it triggered that rattled the embattled government for weeks, accomplishing goals previously thought unachievable, yet not a complete comprehensive solution, yet. This made these towns voters rebel, and congregate around independent candidates or lists that have the landfill and dealing with it as their main priority.
Another, unseen effect of this garbage menace, is compensation by the Lebanese government for the grievances and harm caused by the landfill to surrounding towns, which amount to several million for even the smallest municipalities. In other words, these towns have a huge problem, and a budget that is able to help counter-effect the harmful side effects of it. So, who gets voted in matters a lot, and in several areas, independents were able to either gain seats, or lost by a very thin margin.
Progress
Beirut Madinati ignited a spark that is quickly developing into a firestorm of rebellion against age-old norms and voting habits that have kept us from progressing as a country and a society. Countless towns and districts tried to replicate BM’s success, and proved that this wasn’t just a movement of elitist city-dwellers, but young, driven and upstanding taxpayers from Hasbaya, to Baalbeck, to Tripoli and every other district in our 10452 square kilometers. So incredibly proud!
Spite
Lebanese voters overwhelmingly decide based on emotions. Nowhere was that clearer than in Tareek El Jdideh and Tripoli. When one analyzes the data, an impressive score by Beirut Madinati in Beirut (40% of the popular vote versus a coalition of all the other established parties), one might think that people are voting for what they think is right, that they have moved on from sectarian and tribal leanings to a more progressive approach that can work for them. However, that would be dismissive of how powerful a motivator spite can be.
In a broken, corrupt, unfair electoral system, working class voters tend to expect some form of bribery, whether in services they are entitled to anyways as taxpayers, or actual cash money bribes. The fact the last election was ages ago, and these areas have been largely neglected by a cash-strapped Future Movement, meant a lot of voters were fed up. In their words, several of them told me that they won’t be voting Hariri not cause they don’t love him, they still do. They just aren’t happy about what he’s been doing for them, and a vote against him in the municipal elections is resounding warning that if he expects their votes in the parliamentary elections, he needs to step up his game. A good-old shakedown if I ever saw one.
Same thing goes for Tripoli. Its chieftains are all notoriously rich and powerful, yet, it is their fault Lebanon’s second city was drenched in violence and corruption for years and decades. Suddenly, their bloody feuds were over, and they all came together to form a 7-way-alliance. The only person outside of this 7-way shameless political orgy was Ashraf Rifi, a staunch ex-police chief and justice minister that has been stoking populist and sectarian angst that has resonated in a city suffering from extreme neglect and prolonged bouts of violence. He swept up two-thirds of the seats, which is undoubtedly the greatest upset in Lebanese elections history. The effects of this victory may not be for the better of Tripoli, but its voters sent a message that has sunk in loud and clear to Hariri and Mikati and the rest of the political za3im coalition: “enough is enough”
A particularly nice cherry on top was an independent list in my hometown of Zgharta-Ehden which managed to get 25% of the vote against a last-minute coalition of Zgharta’s most powerful political families. Inmaa Zgharta rekindled a sense of hope in me that lay dormant for quite some time. For once, I believe change is possible in my conservative, traditional town, which has proven in this election that it is getting ready to shed the feudal system and get with the times!
What’s Next
A main obstacle to the legitimacy of grassroots movement is that the only numbers they had in their pocket were Facebook fans and shares. Now, many of them have tens of thousands of votes under their belt. The Orwellian stupidities like “they are foreign agents” or “don’t represent anyone but embassies” has been put to rest, for even the most staunch bone-headed political partisan. He or she knows that Beirut Madinati alone, or Rifi alone, or, or, or got a lot more than his political party and its corrupt buddies combined. Another good thing was the failure of the LF-FPM alliance in many places, confirming that Christian voters will not fall in rank as most Shiite and Sunni ones have with their respective sectarian leaders or parties. In other words, no “zay ma hiyye” or “tazkiyye” like in many sunni or shiite majority districts.
What’s next should be making use of the momentum and gains to better organize independent efforts all across Lebanon, not just Beirut. With the knowledge that our ideas and plans for the future are supported by a sizeable part of Lebanese taxpayers, is a mandate to continue with the reformist, secular, gender-balanced, transparent and independent agenda. Focus on the voters we didn’t get and figure out how we can help them shed their bonds to sectarian warlords and embrace the fact that power should be in their hands, not a a handful of octogenarian warlords-turned-politicians.
Election reform is the other essential thing. I know it’s not sexy enough, but election reform is absolutely critical for any meaningful change. Under a proportional law, Beirut Madinati would have 35–40% of the municipality seats. No more “winner-takes-all”. Everyone gets a say as big as their vote tally. The current laws being debated, including the absurd “hybrid laws” are a disgraceful perversion of democracy, where districts are drawn up based on how many of the current MPs will be able to secure their seats regardless of voter’s decisions. They should be laws that guarantee proper representation, after all, Lebanon is a parliamentary democracy, and a healthy, representative parliament is key to unlocking all the other millions of problems we face day-to-day. Good parliament means good cabinet, good cabinet means good government, good government means a just judiciary. It’s a step-by-step process, and we’ve made some progress, but there is a lot, a LOT more to go.
All in all, thank you everyone who volunteered, monitored, campaigned and supported in all the cities and towns we visited and spent our last four Sundays in! Looking forward to the next elections SOON!
You’ve probably seen LAU alumni or soon-to-be alumni voicing their frustration online at the “VIP passes” email concerning their upcoming graduation ceremony. For those of you that haven’t seen it, here’s a screenshot of the email sent out to all graduating students along with moving comments by Dina, a graduating student who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting on a few occasions:
The post went viral, and soon enough, students started to “Reply All” to the university president’s email. Following the controversy though, I realized something that is far more significant than silly protocols we all have to stomach in public events and occasions.
The Constant Humiliation
Who hasn’t cursed under their breath (or out loud) at an obnoxious, bone-headed politician’s convoy that endangers, abuses and humiliates taxpayers every day at funerals for their loved ones, weddings of their sons and daughters or just going about their day-to-day business like stopping at a red light? How many of us had to endure the small-penis overcompensation of roid-rage babboons with guns and suits overrunning a restaurant or club or church or mosque so that their warlord can show off how much of our taxes they’re wasting on themselves? How many of us were almost run off the road by politicians and their disgusting security escorts? How many of our events were interrupted for the “guest of honor” to come pose for a few pics, say something condescending and then leave before the event actually starts or anyone else has had a chance to speak? How many of us have had to kiss a million asses to get an extra ticket for an ailing grandparent, or a close friend we wanted to see us graduate?
That wasn’t what bothered me the most though. You learn to ignore that stuff, and not let it go to your head. They’re the stupid idiots worried about how dark their windows are tinted and what year their oversized used SUVs were manufactured. Honestly, I’d respect an official which doesn’t behave that way, but I have yet to see one do so in Lebanon. They all want the motorcades, they all want to be in the front seat so there beaming faces will be clear during the 40-second voice-over on the evening news.
Why I’m Happy About This
I was actually happy at this outrage. It goes to show that the changing tides are not just being felt on the street and in the ballot boxes over the past few months, but also on our campuses. Ungodly coalitions by mortal enemies forced into a corner by the people are losing electoral battles left and right, in-fighting and a struggle to usurp power within most of the political parties is becoming something of a bad joke, with the warlords tweeting stuff you’d expect to hear on the tongue of Little Finger on a Game of Thrones episode. Towns and cities thought to be forever loyal to their warlords, are finally revolting, be it slow and steady and so far, unsatisfying.
The thought of dozens and hundreds of students being pissed off that their parents are treated like second-class citizens because they don’t hold elected or appointed office, would have been something you talk about privately, or at least not say before hitting the “reply all” button that could get you in trouble (especially since the president used ALL CAPS on the “DO NOT REPLY to this email or me” of his email)
In other words, the fear and confusion the establishment is feeling, is well-grounded. To see so many students, some of whom I know well, voicing their discontent with the regressive “business as usual” attitude makes my heart swell with hope, and confirms my suspicions that things are changing, at least when it comes to not being silent on injustices or offense given by those in power and those seeking it.
What Should Happen
The president replied to the first student by elaborating that those are the “laws” of the land. However, one thing I love about universities is that the stupidity that’s outside the campus, sometimes gets filtered out. For example, banned movies, books and music can be consumed and studied on university campuses.
Campuses are safezones for any society hoping to progress. It’s somewhere where weapons are not welcome and censorship holds no meaning. It’s also the place where a student, often coddled in sectarian schools gets to interact and learn about other segments of society in Lebanon that they would have otherwise never met, or met under the wrong circumstances. Secular campuses are a treasure that have so far withstood the festering corruption and sectarian mindset. They must remain so if there is any hope to be had.
So, the argument that that is the “law” should not hold on-campus. If that’s the law at public events, that some people must to get preferential treatment by forcing the rest to comply, then that law belongs to the garbage dump of legislative masterpieces like two-piece bikins are illegal. It also means that universities need to step up and fix that, even if the rest of country hasn’t yet. What’s the norm in a funeral in your hometown, shouldn’t be so on a university campus preaching for equality, against corruption and against the current status quo that we are all tired of.
To Sum Up
If your dad’s a janitor and your mom’s a domestic worker, they deserve to see their son or daughter graduate just as much as a judge or officer or member of parliament. The VIPs that night are all the parents and loved ones that poured their hearts out to make sure their children have a decent education and a good shot at a happy life in a miserable country.
Perhaps “VIP” priority should be given to ailing and disabled parents and loved ones, as several students have demanded, instead of politicians and civil employees that expect the rest of us to yield and get trampled over because of some false sense of importance or entitlement.
To the LAU students, I say good luck, and I hope all your parents can make it and be proud of your achievements. To the LAU administration, I say, listen to your students, and be on the right side of history. Sure judges and army officers should be respected, but not at the expense of the people they ought to be serving. Either everyone gets passes for who they want to invite, or this is just like a fundraising gala dinner where the more you make and bigger the title, the more reverence you get at the expense of everyone else. After all, if everyone was given the chance to attend, I don’t think anyone would be so pissed off. But, to think that a parent undergoing chemotherapy can’t get a parking spot close to the campus because some ra2is baladiyeh should get it by law, is just no longer acceptable. Times are changing. People are becoming less like sheep day after day, and the campuses is where that needs to be fostered and supported most.
I’m from Zgharta, and extremely attached to my town. I know this might come as a shock to many of you. A staunchly liberal, anti-establishment, fiercely secular person might not seem like the typical Zghartawi, a town steeped in a deep sense of tradition and a pious lifestyle: the quintessential Maronite city which has given Lebanon a soon-to-be saint, 2 presidents, 3 patriarchs and a few dozen archbishops.
Zgharta is odd and somewhat unique in many ways. I never really realized that, till I started exploring and understanding other Lebanese towns and villages and the dynamics of things like political affiliation and attitudes on the issues. Below is my attempt to explain how it’s odd and the differences that originally made me skeptical anything would ever change, and how Inmaa Zgharta has given me some hope in the place I least expected to find it.
Zgharta-Ehden
We have two towns, a winter one, Zgharta, and a summer one, Ehden. It’s the same people, same municipality, same parish even. Zgharta is close to Tripoli at a couple hundred meters altitude, Ehden is nestled up in the mountains at an altitude that ranges from 1500 to a couple thousand meters above sea level.
You often hear that it’s “families” in towns and villages, but nowhere is that more pronounced than in Zgharta. We have five big political families, the Douaihys, the Mawads, the Franjiehs, the Karams and the Makaris. All the other families in Zgharta are either derivatives of the main five, or historically aligned with one of them. If you think I’m exaggerating, the families have their own coat of arms, do their own events and select their own “za3im” complete with anthems and songs. Of course, the families themselves are split, you will find sizeable parts of each supporting someone outside their family’s official choice.
What usually happens during elections, is each family chooses their representative, and they end up being the electoral candidates. For example, current MPs are Franjieh, Douaihy and Karam, reflecting a coalition formed by those 3 families, that beat the Mawad-led coalition of families back in 2009 by a slim margin.
In other words, political parties don’t really exist up there, and if they do, it’s usually to spite one of the big families or the other. To better understand how this manifests itself, when there’s a FIFA world cup, a die-hard Franjieh supporter might put up the Iranian flag, and his neighbor, who is staunchly pro-Mawad, would put up a US flag. None of them care about any of those football teams, it’s just to spite the other, and that’s how people choose their political affiliations outside the families. Just like many people are pro-Lebanese Forces because they have personal disputes with the Franjiehs, etc.
Obvious Development vs Less Obvious Neglect
If you’ve been to Ehden on a summer Sunday, and I assume most of you have, you were probably impressed with how good and well-maintained the roads are, how there are signs for everything, the natural reserve is very well-kept, tourist facilities, plenty of hotels, restaurants and a handful of nightclubs. You never see garbage, you never really see a “poor” part of the town. Sadly though, in true Lebanese fashion, Zgharta has focused on projecting an image of good development and governance to visitors, while neglecting part of its own community. The poor and neglected parts exist, and we see them all too often.
My grandparents house is less than a block from the historic Saydet Zgharta church. In Zgharta, the closer your home is to that church, the more authentic a Zghartawi you are. But, in those roads designed for horses that now cater to used v12 Mercedes-Benz and 1990s Range Rovers, potholes are the least of your concerns. Another vivid memory I have is of a small river I used to walk down to when my parents wouldn’t notice me sneaking away as a child, for they had always warned me to stay away, and now I realize why. The greyish sludge I used to throw pebbles into, is essentially untreated sewage flowing between the “authentic” neighborhoods of my hometown. A hometown proud of its heritage, and one might say deservedly so.
In other words, the policy has always been to put up a good image of the town for visitors, while neglecting its own residents who, most people, myself included, always thought would look the other way because of loyalty to their political family leaders. Not anymore though.
Why I Had No Hope for Zgharta
My career in activism and campaigning spans more than a decade, and I am extremely proud to have been and continue to be part of movements and campaigns such as You Stink and Beirut Madinati. I’m also extremely proud to be a board member in MARCH, and constantly do my best to make my life in this country better, to make Lebanon closer to what people my age want it to be.
I am ashamed though because I gave up on my own hometown years ago, and after a short bout of being pro-Marada after abuse I suffered growing up in Metn and going to a school where “Lika2 Cornet Chehwan” used to convene during the Syrian Occupation. I was against that occupation, and protested against it on March 14, 2005 like hundreds of thousands of you. Yet I grew up being called “Sooreh” and “Muwelet”, even by teachers and supervisors, and forced to sign a pledge at 15 to “not work politics” when I was still eagerly awaiting the next Harry Potter book, completely oblivious to Lebanese politics and where I stood from it.
Regardless, I gave up on my town, and convinced myself that I shouldn’t even bother, that there is no hope in changing a town that prided itself on its old-timey values and titles such as “honor” and “valor”. That’s until I got pissed about never having voted in my life, and decided to see what’s happening in the town where I’m from.
Why Inmaa Zgharta Has My First Vote
They had the courage to stand up to the fishy political family alliance
They are 25% women, and even though that number could always be higher, it is still unheard of in a country where only 2% of the parliament is female, and especially in such a conservative town
They are accessible. Za3ims in my town live in fortresses with armed guards. Inmaa Zgharta chose their HQ in a tiny neighborhood they rehabilitated themselves, held open forums and open houses, kinda like what Beirut Madinati did
They are issue-focused. They are addressing the problems we care about as Zghartawis, such as water shortage in a town with so much abundance in water, the sketchy “ski resort” Solidere-style plans to “gentrify” Ehden, untreated sewage flowing between homes and many other concerns Zghartawis face on a daily basis.
They have a program. Something also unheard of in a town where people are expected to vote based on family ties and emotions.
They are pro-transparency. Five big families is kinda reminiscent of The Godfather, and the lack of transparency in my beloved hometown would make Don Coreleone proud (By the way, just so you don’t think I’m exaggerating, Don Corleone was a popular alias when we used to play Counter Strike in the cybercafes growing up there). So, promising access to taxpayers to community meetings and a regular audit, is an exponential step forward.
They are bringing hope back to the places we all dismissed as hopeless. It’s easy to be progressive and hopeful in big cities like Beirut, but the real challenge is getting rural cities like Ehden and Zgharta into the fray of change as well, not just Ashrafieh’s districts.
They didn’t complete the list, allowing people like me, who have folks from the other list they love and are related to, to add a couple of names they think will be good. Which is the case for me, I will be adding Maria Gerbaka Raidy, my uncle’s wife, whom I love and trust and is a fantastic woman who will do fantastic things for Zgharta if elected.
Why They Have a Good Chance
Apart from being a breath of fresh air in a place people like me would feel claustrophobic, they are also pragmatic and brave. To stand up to a united five families, complete with their entrenched supporters and behemoth electoral machinery, might have seemed preposterous only months ago. That is no longer the case, Zgharta has caught the change bug as well, and it is perhaps in the odd collusion of the city’s historically warring families, that you can see the threat is real. For the Mawads and Franjiehs to come together, means they feel their grip slowly slipping away. That is exciting, and when it comes to Zgharta, it is also the ruling list’s Achilles’ heel.
I hate to even bring this up, but in conversations with fellow Zghartawis, many are absolutely livid about the families coalition. Zgharta has a bloody past. Zghartawis are known to be a bit trigger-happy. A lot of old wounds have never really healed. So, for many supporters of the godfathers, it is unacceptable to see them collude for personal interests, regardless of the blood shed in each of their names. So, ironically, it is the alliance of desperation that might be hurting the political elites chances most. Kinda like the weird FPM-LF alliance, which many of their supporters aren’t convinced by either. Alliances between mortal enemies happen after reconciliation, not out of fear from the independent progressives and to maintain their seats.
Another weakness of the opposing coalition, is that they aren’t taking this seriously. They assume their partisans will vote for them no matter what, and aren’t properly campaigning. At least the bayarita list ripped off Beirut Madinati’s campaign, the political families list in Zgharta, isn’t even bothering. This makes the chance of an upset all the more real, and why I feel like my vote truly matters for once. For the first time ever actually.
Conclusion
I adore my hometown. Ehden is my favorite place on this Earth, and I’ve been around. For too long, I have felt as an outsider. For too long, I haven’t fit the traditional Zghartwai mould. But, so what? I’m not alone. Over the years, friends of mine who are also from Zgharta have become amazing members of Lebanese society, and like me, they are liberals, but also love their town and want to make it better, they want to bring it into the 21st Century.
I am proud that my first vote will be cast there, for people who have gained my trust and support in record time. I still have a few issues with the laws, and think people should vote where they live, but, that is an issue for another day. This Sunday, I hope Zgharta will prove everyone wrong, and show that things can change, and will. If you are from Zgharta, and live elsewhere like me, go up, vote. Cruise to Ehden. Remember why we need this. Remember that what we thought was impossible, is already manifesting itself. So, let’s make sure we support it. Go vote. Make yourself heard.
The Roumieh prison east of Beirut is second to none when it comes to the sheer horror it invokes in every Lebanese person’s heart, guilty or not. Merely spotting it while you drive through the mountains surrounding the one it’s perched atop is enough to make anyone’s heart sink, and stomach turn at what happens inside that accursed place.
Roumieh is a symbol for everything wrong in Lebanon: utter disregard for the most basic of human rights, as well as unchecked corruption that makes actual criminals’ lives easier on the inside, but those wrongly accused or not yet convicted’s lives resemble a real hell. Overcrowding, riots, lack of basic necessities such as edible food, decent healthcare, proper washrooms and other facilities usually available in places of incarceration…
So, you can imagine the knots in my stomach as I queued up behind barbed wire and freshly-painted cement blocks with the iconic barred-windows of the prison in the background, complete with towels, flags and rags tied in what one might mistake as a bauhaus-style, rundown buddhist temple, with faces propped up above each other and between the bars and colorful pieces of cloth, looking down from their overcrowded cells at the visitors of the day.
I had my Lebanese ID in hand, and after the police officer wrote down my name and signed me in, I walked into the pathway that read: “men/male” to be searched. It was a room with an X-ray scanner and three police officers. The one in charge asked me, “where you in the hospital?”. My first instinct is that he saw my DGTL Festival bracelet, still on my arm weeks after my return to Beirut. I chuckled and said, “no, no, this is from a festival in hollanda”. He then replied, “I didn’t mean that” and pointed to the crook of my elbow. It was quite an outrageous and rude thing to say, suggesting I am a junkie sticking needles in my arm. But then again, he’s a Lebanese cop, so I did not expect any better. I replied, “Ahh, no. Besides, my veins are too deep under my fat, and even doctors have a hard time sticking a needle in me.” He tried to chuckle, but I think he was pissed off at my comeback, instead of scared shitless. He went on to say (after his comrade patted mea and my balls down very vigorously) “we usually search a lot more, strip search and take off their shoes, but today is special treatment. We fight drug abuse in this room!”. What a rude piece of shit. If that’s how guests they’re trying to put a good image in front of are treated like, I can’t even begin to imagine how they treat the inmates.
Anyway, this post is not about these stupid things, it’s about something that moved me to tears several in the span of two hours, of both laughter and sadness.
Zeina Daccache and Catharsis
Most of you might know Zeina from her comedic roles, such as “Izo” formerly on “Basmat Watan”. However, that obnoxious characters belies that Zeina Daccache is a woman I have come to deeply respect and appreciate since I met her and saw the documentary about her first project “12 Angry Lebanese” when it was shown at AUB in my sophomore year back in 2009. Seven years after “12 Angry Lebanese”, and several amazing and award-winning projects with both male and female, mentally ill and healthy inmates later, “Johar” was born. Apart from being an actress and director, Zeina is also a clinical psychologist and a registered drama therapist. She’s also tough as nails, able to work and create something brilliant and powerful with individuals whom society and the justice system has deemed as worthy of life behind bars, or a noose around their necks…
Catharsis is her NGO, and you can find out about all their pioneering projects across Lebanon’s prisons and jails. Just go to their website (under construction, but has useful PDFs and links) or their Facebook page.
Johar… Up in the Air
You could cut the tension with a knife at times in the cramped theater with steep bleachers on each side with 80 people’s 190 eyeballs fixated centerstage, silent and phoneless. It was hard listening to some of the monologues. It was moving to see the choreographed dances depicting mentally ill inmates’ plight by inmates condemned to life behind bars. It was heartbreaking to see inmates so down on their luck and with very little hope for themselves, taking the time and effort to not just care for their fellow inmates with mental disorders on day-to-day in the prison, but create an elaborate theatrical masterpiece that is campaigning and lobbying for an end to the following absurd situation in Lebanon’s prisons:
Convicts with mental disorders are labeled “insane” and are to be kept behind bars till the same court that convicted them decides “they are cured” (The actual 75-year-old law calls people with mental disorders extremely derogatory terms like: معتوه). A cure when it comes to mental illness is absurd. Disorders like schizophrenia or autism can be managed, but never cured. Which means convicts like Bedros who spent 45 of his years in prison, and then died there, never receiving the proper care a person with a severe mental disorder, especially those confined to life behind bars, desperately need. If you ask me personally, people who are not aware of what they are doing or that it is wrong, should be treated in a special facility, not thrown into a building altogether and left to fend for themselves with other inmates. In other words, it is outrageous that a mentally ill inmate with what might be a minor crime, shares the same fate as convicted murderers sentenced to life or death!
I will not talk about the actual content of the play, because I’d much rather you guys see it for yourselves when it gets uploaded. I will say it was extremely powerful throughout, never got cheesy and felt brutally honest and sincere. The main characters became sweethearts of the crowd, who would cheer or laugh or shake their heads in disapproval as stories were told and performed. If you had walked in blindfolded, and saw the scene, you would never in a million years believe that many of the 40 inmates have been convicted of murder.
Reforms, Reforms, Reforms
Whether it’s inmates convicted to life sentences, or ones with mental disorders, they have been extremely been wronged by Lebanon’s justice system. When folks with sentences of a year, two or even twenty, get their jail-time regularly reduced (12 months sentence is now 9 months of actual incarceration, so a 20 year sentence becomes a 15-year one) while the rest, for whatever reason, will never be able to leave. One example was an inmate who did not mean to kill his victim, but was convicted between 1994 and 2001, a period when any murder, intentional or not, got the life sentence. In 2002, that changed, and unintentional manslaughter did not automatically mean life in jail. Yet, that inmate will rot in jail because his verdict was read a few months before the law was reformed. That is not justice.
Zeina’s projects have had a lot of success in reforming prisons and the judiciary in Lebanon. It was after “12 Angry Lebanese” in 2009, that a 2002 law to reduce prison sentences was finally implemented, after her work shed light on the injustices that created a public awareness, and outrage that helped inmates convicted of terms less than a life sentence, to get back to society after serving their time (ideally rehabilitated, but practically unlikely without the valuable work folks like Catharsis do)
This situation is unacceptable, and after today’s eye-opening experience, I realize how important this issue is, and promise to keep following it up on the blog. I am also extremely grateful for amazing people like Zeina Daccache and her team at Catharsis, I can’t imagine what would have happened if these stories remained untold, and these injustices towards some of the most vulnerable people in society, were not made public with efforts to rectify this inhumane treatment of people with mental disorders.
Another injustice is putting virtually impossible conditions for inmates with life sentences that have behaved well for at least 20 years of their life sentence and demonstrated an ability to integrate back into society. When I say good behavior, I don’t just mean polite and docile, I mean bathing a mentally ill inmate’s lifeless body, dressing him up in the only suit he owns, spraying some cologne on him before sending him to his final resting place, as one of the inmates did to a friend with a mental disorder who died… People like that should not be kept behind bars till the day they die because of a technicality, demanding an official pardon from victims’ families as well as amounts as huge as 500 million liras for inmates that barely have enough to buy food and cigarettes, much less get a pardon from family members that might believe in “revenge” in the tribal sense and would never forgive the inmate, no matter what.
There’s still shows on May 19 and 25, at Roumieh prison. If you want to inquire about seeing it for yourselves, get in touch with Catharsis to see if you can arrange that (after all, it’s in a maximum security block of Lebanon’s largest prison, not your local theater).
If I were to summarize this fascinating and unprecedented phenomenon in one sentence, it would be this one: Beirut Madinati represents a major shift in Lebanese civil society from demanding in the streets, to running for elected office to implement the change we all want, and need.
The Good
40% of the vote in the face of a coalition that includes ALL of Lebanon’s ruling parties and groups. That means BM got more than any single political party in Lebanon.
First time voters. Despite the low voter turnout, BM did what most of us thought was impossible: mobilizing disillusioned, first-time voters to the ballot. People that never cared about politics or elections, were suddenly interested, involved, excited, and most of all, hopeful.
Proved what we all knew. We all know the current system is crumbling. We all know the current situation is unacceptable. We all felt change was coming in the past few months. We all knew it would be a monumental uphill battle to get there and will need more than one knock-out punch to accomplish.
Highlighted everything wrong in our current electoral laws. If the vote was proportional, BM would have 9 seats in the upcoming Beirut municipal council. If it were proportional and parliamentary elections, BM would have gotten a handful of members in parliament. The voter fraud, ballot-box tampering and electoral violations were also made clear and known by BM and its supporters, as well as the less-than-serious handling of the elections and the 647 violations still unresolved by the interior ministry (as well as the painfully slow and corrupt counting process)
Beirut Madinati succeeded in building a platform that is here to stay. With clear points, clear intentions and clear consciences, BM and its supporters finally gave us what we’ve all been craving for, for decades: an alternative we actually believe in.
It gave us the boost of confidence and hope we needed, confidence in change that we can make and hope we can seriosuly bank on. In such dark, stinky days, being able to get 40% of the vote with a campaign that spent less than what the political parties spend on a neighborhood, with secular values, a gender-balanced list of candidates and volunteers who work without pay, and most important of all, candidates unburdened by sectarian, political or familial/feudal considerations that are the reason for the gridlock in every level of the Lebanese government and has been for many, many decades.
The Bad
Circumstances for a win, or rather, a loss for the parties in power, will probably never be better. After months drowning in garbage, cash-strapped politicians and jumbled-up, weird coalitions of desperation amongst themselves, voters can no longer be just apathetic or accept injustices by their former party affiliations.
Voter turnout was low. It was consistent with historical voter turnouts in Beirut, but just shy of 20% with all the circumstances stated above, and 6 years with no elections of any kind in the country, I personally was expecting no less than 25%.
The Ugly
The harassment, fraud, bribes and outright vote destruction and malicious miscounting of votes by the Bayarita list.
The sectarian rhetoric from the Bayarita list and its supporters to desperately try and avoid an embarrassing loss.
The lack of seriousness by the Interior Ministry in addressing 647 violations, which in turn undermines the entire democratic process in the country: why would I vote when the politician’s lackies can throw my vote in the garbage? Especially when nothing is done to address that disgusting crime.
Lebanese people’s impatience. People here want immediate results, or they get demotivated after a couple of days and move on to the next scandal. Liberating the entire city from half a century of domination by the current ruling parties, will not happen in one election cycle. The fact several major districts within the city voted overwhelmingly BM, means that it’s working far sooner than we expected and that in the parliamentary elections, for once, we might actually have MPs that represent us and do the jobs we pay them to do.
What’s Next?
I don’t know yet, and I’m not sure any of us do. One thing I do know, is that my support for the people and ideals of Beirut Madinati will remain unwavering. I also know that many if not most people want to keep going, evolve this movement into something even bigger. The parliamentary elections are probably a no-brainer by now, but why not something more as well? A banner we can all get behind to translate everything we’ve been demanding, into reality, without permission or favors from those unlawfully clinging to power.
Don’t Be Like Them
Don’t be mad at voters. We aren’t Saad Hariri, we don’t humiliate and dictate what should be done to voters who support us. We were a bit short this time, that’s ok, we will analyze our performance and see where we need to improve and prepare for the next one. It also doesn’t mean we don’t fix Beirut on our own accord, like so many BM supporters have been doing their entire lives with projects, NGOs and businesses that have made Beirut and the lives of its people a bit better in light of severe negligence and festering corruption by the current municipality and government. We aren’t sore losers and we never will be.
So, congratulations everyone! You made us all proud and gave many of us hope again. All I can say now is, I can’t wait for what’s next!
The Garten is BACK! After a couple weeks break by the uberhaus crew, the legendary dome has risen on Beirut’s waterfront instead of the beast in a sardine can y’all danced through winter inside. Steve Bug comes back for more Beirut treatment, with Lele Sacchi this time, and Uberhaus residents and beasts, Romax and Technophile!
It’s free and happy hour from 7 till 9PM, $33 after 9PM!
Few things mean summer is here like Decks does, and fewer things still are as excitedly awaited by clubbers in Beirut from summer to summer. Decks on the Beach is back at the iconic Sporting Club Beach. Happy vibes, happy people and music made to be blasted right at the shore. Get your party shirts and shorts ready, tie your shoelaces tight and let ATTAR! usher in the summer season again!
Entrance is free from 8 till 10PM, then entrance is $20
Electric Sundown is back every summer Friday sunset! The parties that start at happy hour and stay till past midnight at Iris Beach Club a short drive south of Beirut are kicking off with none other than Henry Saiz performing live, along with William Kouam Djoko and George Tabet. I love Saiz, especially his track “Eliksyr”, which I’ve been stuck on for a few months now. Can’t wait to hear it live with the waves crashing behind.
It’s free entrance from 5 till 8PM, then 40.000LBP from 8PM till 12AM
C U NXT SAT and MixFM are teaming up yet again to bring one of the brilliant artists that we all grew up dancing to since we first fell in love with electronic music all those years ago. John Digweed will be at The Grand Factory this Saturday, and I for one can’t wait. Another cool thing about Saturday night is that the two rooms of The Grand Factory will be open to the public, including the room in the back that is usually guestlist-only, so, if you’re curious about that part of TGF, but for some reason haven’t experienced its magic yet, Jan Blomqvist. will be serenading you guys in the intimate, Basement-reminiscent room!
Tickets are for $30 from 10 till 11PM, and $40 from 11PM till 3AM, and then $30 after 3AM
21 years later, B018 never ceases to satisfy Lebanese clubbers’ increasingly sophisticated electronic music palate. When it comes to the art of mixing, Danny Howells is the man that taught us what a good DJ is capable of doing, time and time again. B018 is teaming up with MixFM on Saturday to bring you international heavyweigh, and B018 resident, Danny Howells along with Ronin, Phil and Ziad Ghosn! So far, b0 nights with Danny have all been sublime, and I’m looking to end up there on Sunday morning after the upcoming marathon of a weekend in Beirut!
After a stellar season by the Vellocet crew, they’re closing up shop at Yukunkun before moving outdoors for the summer. Techno and Dub and the spectrum that lies between them is what makes Vellocet invaluable in Beirut’s party scene. With locals Amer (Patch/wrk) and JOOL supporting HEAR, all the way from Berlin, if you don’t particularly feel the big-hype, massive-venue kind of weekend and want to dance to music love with people who want to do the same, then Vellocet is your subterranean reservoir for deep, dark sounds, just the way we like them…
In the second instalment of Submotif, the focus will be on a more experimental segment of electronic music. Techno, Broken Tech, Experimental Breakbeats and Acid Breaks. If your auditory escapades have taken you to this part of the electronic spectrum, this is one night Beirut’s scene was massively in need of: an experimental flavor to remind us all why we electronic music is the music for us.
My oh my, if only our government was as as effective and brutal when it come to the ongoing garbage crisis as it is when it comes to beating up peaceful protesters and terrorizing citizens and families for demanding the rights they pay exorbitant amounts for… Alas, not with the current group of warlords in powers.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
I don’t wanna say I told you so, but I knew the “temporary” disastrous solution that honestly couldn’t possibly be worse would make everyone forget about the garbage. They did forget, and despite the disgusting stench in most parts of the country, not seeing the hundreds of thousands of tons on our sidewalks, streets, rivers, beaches, forests and under our homes made us all forget about the crime of the century against the Lebanese people, worse than what Assad did to us, worse than what Israel did to us and worse even than what the Ottomans inflicted upon us. It’s worse, not just in terms of barbarity and evil, but also because it was done by our own leaders, not an occupying force like all the times mentioned before.
Well, guess what? Remember the uprising so many of you criticized from the comfort of your couch, with your windows closed, AC on and spraying Febreeze as you walk around your own home? Well, it has never been more essential, and I’m not sure if we can muster up the same resolve against such a brutally corrupt and violent government with the likes of Mohamad Machnouk and his apologists, who, I think should be awarded some sort of prize for the thickest skin, and thickest skull, in humanity’s existence. Maybe also an honorable mention as one of the rudest, disrespectful humanoid organisms to every grace this scorched earth we call Lebanon. Perhaps a mosquito net too, so he stops inhaling and swallowing the pests?
In Your Nostrils, In Your Lungs
When was the last time you opened your window while on the highway? If you thought the garbage was bad when mixed with flood water, imagine what it will be like when all the sludge and ooze of the garbage sits in Lebanon’s hot summer sun at 30 degrees C. Dioxins, methane, rats, flies, bacteria and a host of other toxins and parasites have increased many thousand folds over the last few months. You are slowly dying, in the most humiliating way imaginable, with the solutions right there in front of us, but with politicians too greedy to care and too busy calculating how much money they can milk out of us before we all die slow, painful deaths and get buried in the millions of tons of garbage in every nook and cranny in our tiny 10452 square kilometers.
Like I’ve been saying from day one of the crisis, we can’t wait for the government. How can we expect the thugs and crooks behind Sukleen to fix the problem they have created, made worse and continue to propagate till this day?
The Lebanese are resourceful and resilient when it comes to finding solutions to insurmountable problems. Their garbage governments however, are only resourceful and resilient in beating taxpayers up if they dare speak up about not wanting to be murdered slowly under millions of tons of untreated solid waste.
Towns like Anjar, Adma, Bikfaya and many others have already started their local, grassroots initiatives to solve the issue locally. Dozens of new startups and NGOs have been established to recycle, compost and manage the garbage. Our local industry is in dire need of recycled paper, plastic, tin and glass. Our local agriculture sector is in dire need of fertilizers made from composting organic waste. Our sidewalks await the rest of the unredeemable garbage to mix with the cement that will hopefully complete these sidewalks again and make Beirut pedestrian-friendly, not pedestrian-deadly.
Dirt, Dirt, Dirt
We know everyone is corrupt, but it’s rare to find out how that corruption takes place exactly. In a recent meeting I was part of, MP Samy Gemayel revealed to us several ways in which the establishment warlords in sheepskin are trying to take advantage of the situation in the dark, evil rooms of the government and parliament. Below, I will illustrate some of the examples of blatant disregard for the mandate these MPs have already overstayed illegally for years now.
Makab versus Matmar: A makab is a random garbage dump where you just throw the waste, untreated, unsorted, as-is in a place like a forest, valley or urban parking lot. A matmar is a specially prepared piece of remote land, where only 5–20% of the waste that is un-compostable and un-recyclable are sealed and buried in a way that doesn’t allow for any toxins to seep into the soil, groundwater or sea.
Contract periods: Sukleen has been here for more than two decades. They charge us 170–180$ per ton, and only treat 15% of it, with the 85% just ending up in a garbage dump instead of a proper landfill. That means that Sukleen was able to make a LOOOOOOOOT of money, at an extremely low cost to them. A good period for a contract would be 15–20 years, to ensure that the company can cover its operation costs, and make some profit.
Finding landfills: It is the government’s job to find a good spot to dispose of the unredeemable waste. If the company is supposed to find it, that automatically means that collusion between that company and the za3eem of the region (political warlord) they are operating in is a no-brainer. This means a LOOOOOOOOT of money to those za3eems without the need to make sure it is sanitary, safe and efficient for taxpayers, just as long as the za3eem’s pockets get replenished by the companies.
After knowing all this, what Nabil El Jisr did in the parliamentary committee for the garbage, was inexcusable and was not the first time politicians play these dirty tricks to try and sabotage any meaningful agreement, or at least ensure that they get handsomely, and illegally, compensated for what is supposed to be one of the very basic services in any civilized society.
After the cabinet decided to set 7 years as the maximum for a contract, which is absurd, given that that is not enough time for the companies to even break even, meaning they will charge us a lot more for the same, bad service we get from Sukleen, just to be able to pay for the machines, trucks, facilities, etc.
Another incomprehensible booby trap they put in, is that it should be the company’s responsibility to find a landfill (which as stated above, is hard without paying off a za3eem). This was not an option that the Kataeb were gonna take, and they vetoed this in the cabinet, which forced Tamam Salam to issue his weak threat of resigning because the “Kataeb weren’t letting him do the biddings”.
Finally, the Kataeb ministers were able to insert a clause in the minsterial decision that stipulates that the government has to find a landfill in case the company with the winning bid, which solves a major corruption loophole in the decision. However, upon making its way to the parliamentary committee, Nabil El Jisr omitted the part that says the government needs to designate the landfill when the winning bidder cannot. He omitted it because he personally felt it wasn’t feasible. This blatant disregard for such an important part of the decision, meant that decision was gutted into something that was truly, utterly the worst thing possible: a company getting just 7 years, and being forced to find their landfill without the government. So, apart from the high costs they need to get up and running, add the cost of the bribes to local politicians, is what made the price of a ton upwards 200–250$, which is even higher than Sukleen’s crushing high prices for subpar service and regular breach of contract (and thuggish behavior that might cost a colleague her eyesight). This is why that second bidding process failed, a carefully orchestrated, illegal breach of the most basic duties of an MP trying to secure ill-gotten funds for his cash-strapped party.
Who the hell is that MP to decide to omit an entire clause in a ministerial decision fought so hard for? This was an obvious, exceptionally rude and audacious attempt to guarantee that companies awarded contracts will be unable to get anything done without bribing the politicians to allow them to use a piece of land on their fiefdoms (remember how Arslan didn’t want the Costa Brava dump reopened? Well, look what a few million can do to persuade a Lebanese politician to sell out his loyal subjects).
Corruption a la Libanaise
Another startlingly horrifying theft of your taxes was made apparent when Bikfaya and its surrounding towns started their own garbage solution initiative. A town near Bikfaya used to get billed for 21 tons a day from Sukleen. In the past couple of months, no more than 6 tons were gathered per day. This means that the municipality there was paying three and a half TIMES what it was actually being picked up by Sukleen. If we price the ton at 170$, that means the municipality should pay around a 1000$ per day. They were paying almost 3600$ a day instead. That’s a 107,000$ a month, or almost 1.3 MILLION dollars a year, and that’s just one town among many, many, many others where no one can know for sure how many phantom garbage tons were billed and paid for by your taxes over the past two decades.
A ton, maybe two extra might seem like negligence or minor crime, but when it’s more than 3.5 times the actual amount, that is literally, the perfect crime to an unsuspecting victim that doesn’t know any better.
Just the Tip of the Iceberg
There are so LOT more reports and evidence of the blatant corruption when it comes to the garbage crisis, but I think the above is enough for one post. I want you guys to enjoy your Easter celebrations and Labor Day in peace. I promise to keep publishing these stories though, and to feature more towns which are solving the garbage crisis themselves, in hopes that will be the entrance to a more decentrallized Lebanon where it becomes harder to be as corrupt as our politicians have been for decade after decade.
On that note, make sure you vote in your next municipal elections. Those municipalities can do a lot in terms of taking the initiative and solving the garbage crisis without the sabotaged theatrical displays of corrupt bidding processes and evil corporations like Sukleen. And make sure to keep up the pressure, and take the initiative in your communities, no matter how much you think you can’t change the current situation. You can, many people already are, and we are here to help with that!
If you haven’t already heard, Mashrou’ Leila’s license to play their fourth concert in as many years on the Roman steps in Amman, Jordan, was suddenly revoked a few days before the scheduled performance.
The Official Reason
The official reason was that the band and their music do not “represent” the “authenticity” of the heritage site. Now, this is hilariously untrue because, first, it was not Mashrou’ Leila’s first time there, but was gonna be their fourth at the same location. So, unless the censorship apparatus in Jordan was asleep the past four years, that reason is as bullshit as Lebanon’s own General Security’s.
One thing I found funny, is that they think a Ancient Roman site is “unfit” for themes like gender equality, tolerance, LGBT rights and other basic human rights because they are “satanic” and “ruin culture and society” in Jordan. Someone should send them the bulletin that Ancient Romans LOVED their wine and hashish fueled mega-orgies in these sites. So, I don’t see how the Arab World’s most popular alternative band would “be too much” for the Jordanian society, a society I love and know that the people who are against Mashrou’ Leila and what they stand for are a minority, trying to mimic ISIS and its extremist, hateful rhetoric.
The Real Reason
As with everything extremely homophobic, hateful, juvenile and outright stupid, it was a priest behind this whole issue. A local Christian priest, who would make his pedophile-harboring, “yoga-is-satanic” brethren in Lebanon’s churches proud, decided that Mashrou’ Leila are devil worshippers. Hamed’s beautiful reply at today’s press conference was, “most of the band doesn’t even believe the devil exists…” which made me even more proud of the band.
So, the band’s fans from across the region, especially Jordan and Palestine, have a priest to thank for this absolutely disgusting, backwards and homophobic decision. Thank you father!
Why This Matters
Censorship of any kind, is wrong. Censoring art and culture for religious bigotry reasons, is something we are used to ISIS and its friends doing, not priests and government ministers in what is supposed to be a “moderate” muslim-majority country like Jordan.
For those of you who don’t already know, Mashrou’ Leila’s fans who live in occupied Palestinian territories are some of the band’s most loyal, hardcore fans. Being Lebanese, the band can’t perform for them in their home country. Being Palestinian, their fans can’t travel to many places, unlike Jordan which is a lot easier. Jordan was that neutral ground, where dozens of buses full of fans from the occupied territories were destined to be go tomorrow night and watch the band on the iconic Roman stairs.
So, this is wrong on so many levels and I was flabergasted when Jordan did it, especially since I have visited the country many times and even met the Tourism Minister and many of his team, who I never imagined would bow down to the pressure by that bad priest and his horrible attitude and hateful, intolerant behavior.
I urge them to reconsider this ban, and apologize ASAP to, first and foremost, the fans. And second, the band, for this uncalled for, disgusting defamation campaign of “satanic worshipping” that is sweeping up Arab cities around the region in today’s world, one where ISIS is a thing and we should be getting over this Dark Age nonsense.
My Thoughts
Mashrou’ Leila should be proud. To be banned for standing up for civil rights, sexual liberation, gender quality, income inequality, transparency in government and other themes we all work and aspire to achieve in our communities, is something to be proud of! To allow hateful men dressed in black robes (the priest, not ISIS in this case) to dictate upon an entire country what is “right” and “wrong”, in 2016, is unacceptable. Maybe back in the 1000s, or in ISIS-controlled areas, but not in Amman, where I’ve had many a drink and partied many a night with Jordanian friends I’ve known for years in neighborhoods I’ve visited many times in my life.
Jordan’s government needs to take back this ban and clarify their position. Defaming and smearing the image of a band bringing hope to many young Arabs who are different from what’s considered the norm in the Arab World, because of a misinformed, hateful priest, is unacceptable. It is not only insulting to every open-minded Arab, but insulting to the Jordanian people, who can decide for themselves if they wanna see the show or not, without a priest’s input, much less his orders that the government for some unexplainable reason just went along with.
I will leave you with my favorite Mashrou’ Leila track, and the delightful caricature I embedded above shared on @Mashrouleila_jo.
Yorgui’s a 30-year-old pharmacist, a former Lebanese Red Cross volunteer paramedic and Scouts du Liban scouts leader. He is also one of my best friends. He is the man I would trust my life and the lives of those I love with. He is the man behind Donner Sang Compter (DSC Lebanon), the blood donation NGO that has so far saved the lives of thousands of Lebanese folks every year who would have otherwise died waiting for blood donations. He is the man that sacrifices his personal life, professional and academic one in service to Lebanon’s people who have been largely forsaken by its government.
What is DSC Lebanon?
DSC Lebanon is an amazing NGO that is a prime example of civil society stepping in to fill the gaps left by a failed government. With the absence of a national blood bank, many patients would die waiting to find a donor. That’s when Yorgui had the idea of creating a database of willing, young donors that would heed the call when they were most needed. What was a humble few dozen names from his scouts group a few years back, exploded into tens of thousands of young Lebanese ready to save someone’s life. That translates to hundreds of lives saved every month, all thanks to the efforts of DSC.
Why He’s Running Now
Apart from his role in DSC, Yorgui is also a civil rights activist. Too long have people like Yorgui been on the streets or lobbying those in power to be able to achieve what should be tireless and straightforward, such as a medically-equipped truck to help with blood donation drives across the country.
It is finally time for the people in charge of our daily lives’ concerns be folks like Yorgui and his running mates: a gender-balanced group of apolitical, secular, progressive experts in their field who have proven their worth and resilience over years of serving their communities and Lebanon as a whole. It’s time to elect them to office now, and I am humbled to be the first to announce Yorgui’s candidacy to the Beirut municipal elections on the 8th of May!
Why You Should Vote, Volunteer and Campaign
Whether you are from Beirut or not, you need to be part of this campaign. Too long have demands been too lofty and too vague. We finally have a comprehensive platform, an electoral dream-team and a public awareness that is unprecedented in Lebanon. The Beirut municipal elections are winnable, and that’s what Beirut Madinati is planning on doing. With hundreds of thousands of young and first-time voters, and historically low voter turn out in Lebanon’s capital, the chances for an independent group of candidates has never been better. We just need to mobilize ourselves and come out and volunteer, canvas and vote!
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