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BreakfastinBed

Lebanese disco, feminist icons and a divisive Oscar nominee

Take some time out this weekend for a slow morning with Breakfast in Bed.

Lebanese disco, feminist icons and a divisive Oscar nominee

Illustrations by Jaimee Lee Haddad

I had a small moment of panic this week to realize the first month of 2025 is over and I am no closer to achieving my goals for the new year and my resolutions out of the window. 

Thankfully, I was reminded it’s Chinese New Year this week, so I’ve decided to follow the Lunar calendar instead — A fresh start, no questions asked. With that being said, this weekend looks pretty jam-packed for me: finally cracking open the books I ambitiously swore I’d read, making at least one appearance at the gym and hopefully squeezing in a few cultural outings inspired by this week’s Breakfast in Bed selection. I hope these picks spur you on for a similarly productive weekend.

A Lebanese disco legend 

Lebanese musician Paul Jabara was the visionary we have to thank for Donna Summer’s biggest tunes and a host of other anthems from the 70s. While his music will likely continue to light up dancefloors for years to come, his story remains largely untold. Karl Richa transports us to the disco era in this portrait of Jabara’s unsung genius.

Paul Jabara and Donna Summer at the 51st Academy Awards in 1979. Photo from the collection of Dario and Hannah Salvi

‘No Other Land’ – the Oscar pick everyone is talking about 

Having watched this documentary a few months ago, it’s not hard to see why it has made such a huge splash. It follows an unlikely friendship between a Palestinian man and an Israeli journalist as they document forced expulsion and settler violence in the West Bank village of Masafer Yatta. But despite its critical acclaim, why has the film garnered such intense backlash? 

The poster for the documentary film "No Other Land," directed by Palestinian and Israeli activists.

Taysir Batniji - The “alchemist of time”

Meanwhile, Gazan artist Taysir Batniji takes a very different approach to expressing his experience of displacement. Now showing at the Sfeir-Semler Gallery in Beirut, his work distorts reality, manipulates memory and transforms everyday objects into symbols of exile and loss. Gilles Khoury’s thoughtful review has left me intrigued to see the exhibition for myself.

Taysir Batniji, "Just in case #2", 2024, 253 prints on paper, pencil on wall, 21 x 29.7 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and the Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/Hamburg.

Documenting Lebanon’s thawra

There is never a shortage of cultural production surrounding Lebanon's ‘thawra’ and the years of crises that followed never tires, but according to Jim Quilty, “Diaries from Lebanon” is especially unique. Myriam El Hajj’s documentary centers on an ensemble of figures: writer and activist Joumana Haddad, artist-turned-protester Perla Maalouli and former civil war gunman Georges Moufarej. What tensions emerge when their stories are told side by side?

Artist and performer Perla Joe Maaloui lent her voice to Lebanon’s 2019-20 street demos. (Courtesy of Abbout Productions)

Feminism through the ages 

This week, theatre extraordinaire Lina Abyad debuted her latest play at LAU, which brings together three distinct feminist icons from three different eras: Leila Baalbaki, Latifa al-Zayyat and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Nanette Ziadé-Ritter discusses how Abyad artfully weaves their stories together in a thoughtful conversation on the evolution of women’s activism. 

Greta Aoun in the role of Latifa al-Zayyat.

Lebanese maestro’s Paris premiere

Is any instrument quite as evocative as the violin, or a performance more absorbing than a live orchestra? To me, it seems that Lebanese composer Bechara al-Khoury’s Noir sur l’horizon, performed at the Paris Philharmonic, a tribute to the victims of the Aug. 4 explosion, was just that. Zeina Saleh-Kayali’s article conjures up a haunting yet moving performance.

The Pasdeloup Orchestra under the direction of Venezuelan conductor Christian Vasquez with the talented violinist Arnaud Nuvolone as soloist. (Photo courtesy of the artist)
I had a small moment of panic this week to realize the first month of 2025 is over and I am no closer to achieving my goals for the new year and my resolutions out of the window. Thankfully, I was reminded it’s Chinese New Year this week, so I’ve decided to follow the Lunar calendar instead — A fresh start, no questions asked. With that being said, this weekend looks pretty jam-packed for...