Our Man in Beirut

I’m not usually one for heartfelt posts about serious subjects, but today is different.

We often get caught up in the machinations of daily life and lose sight of what’s really important. For example, that idiot who cut you off in traffic today has managed to ruin your whole week. But taking a step back can make us realize most of us have a lot to be thankful for.

I took that step back when I met Aya.

Aya is a 13 year-old girl who was born with a dying liver. She’s coped any way she could so far, but things are getting tough now and she needs a liver transplant urgently, she has less than five months to live.

I feel humbled to be involved with the campaign to raise the money Aya needs for the operation that will allow her to live the life every teenager deserves. A life with its ups and downs, but a healthy one with a bright future.

Some of you may have noticed a Facebook page called SAVE AYA showing up in your friends’ minifeeds in the last couple of weeks. If you haven’t joined the page yet, please do. Everyone is encouraged to upload their photos with messages of support for Aya. From what I gather, the effect the messages have been having on her is really quite something.

But beyond the messages of support, the real life-saving work happens over at http://www.saveaya.org. That’s where you can donate online through Bank Audi’s secure payment system and really make a difference in this little girl’s life.

The fundraising effort is an initiative of Hep Attitude Positive. So far they’ve raised around USD 10,000 dollars through the campaign. Which is great. But we all have a responsibility to get to that USD 50,000 mark, which is where we really make a difference.

Will you Save Aya?

A friend of mine made this video using footage he found of a family gathering in Baalbeck in the 1960s. I love the Wonder Years quality the video has and the spontaneity of everyone in it. It’s cool that Hani decided to re-edit this film 50 years after all the protagonists had a fun day [...]

Here’s a trailer for a documentary project on the underground music scene in the Arab world, specifically Beirut. It’s very well made and offers some valuable insights into a scene that’s sadly still shunned by the mainstream, who prefer their stars lip-synched and surgically-enhanced. Like someone says in the video: “popstars sing dreams, we sing [...]

Here’s a short documentary from last year’s Beirut International Tango Festival, as a little taster of what’s to come this April.

Here’s one of my favourite tracks by Bergen, Norway-based band Kings of Convenience. The perfect music to soothe the irate Lebanese motorist. I think if we were all playing this or bossa nova on our radios instead of the latest Tiesto offering, we’d probably be far more chilled out.

Hello everybody! It would seem the swarm of expats is upon us and we’re destined to fester in our cars in traffic jam after traffic jam for the next couple of weeks. I’m actually getting physical cramps in my leg from sitting around with my foot on the brake for half an hour at a [...]

There’s been talk recently of Lebanon joining the ranks of civilized countries and banning smoking in public places. Although I think there’s a litany of more important issues to legislate, no harm could come of this. But I’m still highly skeptical they’ll have any success in enforcing any laws that come into effect. I’ve seen [...]

Rayess Bek, also known as Wael Koudaih, is a pioneering Lebanese rap artist. He started off with the group Aks’ser back in the mid-nineties, in a series of cringe-worthy videos of wannabe rap that I remember watching as a kid during holidays in Lebanon. His raps and slams in Arabic and French, are filled with [...]

Mashrou3 Leila is a seven-member Lebanese band that’s been getting bigger and bigger ever since they burst onto the local music scene in 2008. From what I understand, its a haphazard group who first came together at AUB after they answered an ad to join into informal jamming sessions at the university. I like the [...]

I’ve always wondered why there aren’t more stand up comedians in Lebanon. I mean the place is rife with fodder for observational humour. Five minutes in a traffic jam or waiting room should be enough for a whole set. One guy who’s done quite well with stand up is Nemr Abou Nassar. He’s had a [...]