Media mystic

Known for her strong presence and edgy talk shows, not to mention her immensely popular astrology books, Maguy Farah shares a bit of her past and future.

You started off on the renowned Sawt Lubnan radio station, didn’t you?

I was in university and I joined a station that we thought would be temporary. It was a time of war and political parties and I knew nothing about any of that.

And you learned quickly…

I started hosting talk shows in colloquial Arabic, something that was unheard of. They were very successful and eventually I was asked to lead the news. I initially refused as I was afraid. I had every right to be. It was a very politically turbulent time, but it was also a golden age for the media. Sawt Lubnan was a statement unlike any other; we had over 90 per cent of the market. It gave me a lot of confidence and I put a lot of myself into the news. I once improvised an entire news broadcast.

You did what?

I read the brief and there was someone in the station who didn’t read the news, and he didn’t like that I did. He removed the entire Bachir Gemayel brief from my desk so I wouldn’t find it, wouldn’t read it and would be criticized for that. I’m on the air and there’s nothing there, so I closed my eyes and read it from memory, summarizing it again in my own words. It was great practice.

But things changed…

It was a bad time. The station was taken over by force and I was left without a job and without severance pay. You couldn’t do anything about it during the war but that’s OK. I had sold a couple of books by then and they sold very well. I was approached by Dar al Kitab al Lubnani to make twelve books of horoscopes. I did and they paid in advance. I had no money, I was driven by need and I loved horoscopes as a hobby. I remember I couldn’t get advertised on Sawt Lubnan. Think about that for a moment. A station that I helped build from nothing and now I couldn’t get an advert on it. It stung, to be sure. But it didn’t matter. My close friend from Dar al Kitab took care of the advertising.

And then you got back into media…

Eventually I started a political show on LBC. It was the first talk show on LBC and it was recorded rather than live. They wouldn’t let us run live. MTV approached me for a talk show and I agreed, and once it succeeded I was approached again by LBC, but I didn’t comply. I had my principles and I was bound by my word if not by contract. I stayed for seven years.

What happened then?

Even MTV had issues and politics always interfered. What doesn’t kill you enriches you though. Under tough circumstances I moved to Future Television but someone there didn’t like me. I acted on my principles once and was punished – but that’s the way it is. I wish they’d just ignore your principles or not appreciate them. But to punish you? That’s a problem.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

I’m not optimistic really. But at least there’s freedom. Listen to this side and listen to that side and find an area in between and that’s your story.

You must like the challenge…

My husband says: ‘Any sailor can tackle the calm sea, but only a good sailor can handle the storm.’ That’s my destiny, he said. That gives me some consolation. But I don’t know if people pick their destiny, and how much of it is chance.

What’s your favorite place in Lebanon?

It’s hard to say, but I choose Achrafieh. I was born there, I studied there, I know it corner to corner. It has laughter and tears, the good things in life.