Illustrations by Jaimee Lee Haddad
Between a performance of Hamlet at the Grand Serail and a mock election at one of Beirut’s famous nightclubs… Lebanon's theatrics continue.
This week in the world of culture, tributes were paid to Lebanon across the spectrum from architecture to theatre and even to the country’s publishing heyday. Today's line-up features all of the above and will have you blasting your favorite Nancy, Haifa and Nawal tunes throughout the weekend.
Enjoy
“Theater pays in glory not in rent,” says Rifaat Torbey
Actor and patron saint of the Lebanese stage, Rifaat Torbey, became the first artist to bag the Lebanese Order of Merit. In his hard-hitting interview with Rana Najjar, he reflects on the State's neglect of artists, his fidelity to Shakespeare and the experience of performing Hamlet to Nawaf Salam at the Grand Serail… I know, bold choice!
“The Land Remembers’ is not a pavilion that asked politely to be noticed. It insisted.”
Rayanne Tawil takes us inside Lebanon’s pavilion at the Venice Architectural Biennale, which was named one of the top 5 exhibits, and it’s easy to see why. A beautiful ode to the Lebanese land, it features work from Mohammed Choucair (the artist who recorded the buzz of Israeli ‘MK’ drones) and the Green Southerners (an NGO tracing the environmental scars of war in the South).
In conversation with Franco-Yemeni writer and computer scientist Habib Abdulrab
Scientist, AI specialist, essayist, poet…Habib Abdulrab is as fascinating as he is multifaceted, and so is his interview with Nanette Ziade Ritter. He talks about how Lebanese publishing tradition shaped his early life in Yemen, similarities between Aden and Beirut and the harmony between algorithms and Arabic verse.
Witnessing the revival of Arab pop music
Nawre is in. You heard it from Marguerita Sejaan first. She took us along for a wild night out with her at Club Heshik Beshik, revealing how Arab pop music has recaptured the hearts of Beirut partygoers who are reclaiming their culture on the dancefloor.
Angie Obeid takes her family baggage on the road
If, like me, you’re a sucker for a heart-warming family story, check out Nanette Ziade-Ritter’s review of the new documentary "Yalla Baba." While being stuck in a car with my father for 4,000 kilometers is somewhat of a personal nightmare, I am surprisingly keen to watch Angie Obeid’s father-daughter road trip, all the way from Brussels to Beirut.
Capellini pasta with shrimp
Looking for a quick but delightful date-night meal for the weekend? Jaime Lee Haddad shares another of her magical recipes – perfect for a solo comfort meal or a romantic dinner – as part of her series of globe-trotting recipes from Mexico to Italy, via India and Thailand.
