For whom the bell tolls
A legend in Lebanese theater, Rafic Ali Ahmad buys me a narghile at the notorious Rawda Cafe and talks about his life.
The bearded mother
You're something of an icon in theater...
Well let me tell you, I act alone and people who act alone typically run three or four shows. It's often an intellectual show. I've held four plays, one man shows, and with each one I've met with great success. I was able to carry them around the world with me. This makes me happy. I was able to create a popular theater out of this style. I like that my audience will have anyone in it from the highly educated to the everyday theater goer.
What do you feel gives you this edge?
They believe me. When I had the spot with UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon], a lady came up to me and said: ‘UNIFIL chose well. It's not that you're an actor. It's that people believe you.' These are the type of words you hear with your heart, not your ears. When I have a play all the Lebanese come, irrespective of their religions. The topics I choose are heartfelt - the emotions of a father, the problems of the youth, the discrepancy between parents and children. My grandfather spoke to my father and my father spoke to me. But I can't speak with my son. There's a different education in place.
You've succeeded where other actors failed...
In one of my plays I say I don't have a tribe. We're a bunch of tribes, aren't we? No matter how educated we get, or how far we travel, we're all just a bunch of tribes. I have no tribe. I'm from a village and in my village we plant an olive tree for every child that is born. I have a lot to talk about - why should I play Shakespeare when there's so much here to talk about? People still believe me and I still have a good name. This makes me fulfilled.
I've noticed that people always associate your name with one particular play, The Bell. Why is that?
It was shown at the right time. I staged it in '91, as soon as the east and west border fell. I didn't talk about the war as such - I talked as a Lebanese citizen who lived in the south, a father who lost his son during the civil war. I lived in west Beirut and staged it in the east. When I took on the role of a woman and cried over my deceased son, the women in the theater cried along with me for their own sons. They loved this woman, with her white beard - even makeup is a lie sometimes. I get up and say :‘I'm Rafic Ali Ahmad and this is my white beard. But this woman I'm playing, she's hurting.'
What is your favorite place in Lebanon?
Wherever I'm sitting down and happy. Anywhere that gives me a moment of clarity. And Beirut is life and civilization, a meeting place of humanities.
All Rights sold to Time Out BeirutKhatchadourian school of rock
Photo by by Tania Traboulsi
Armenian rocker Eileen Khatchadourian has managed to blend traditional Armenian rhythms with rock, and more rock. Here's how she did it.
Why Rock? Do you feel it talks to people better?
I love rock! Many kinds of rock, and I wanted to adapt Armenian music to a style suitable and accessible to teenage Armenians, or simply to Armenians of a certain age, and of course a style my musicians and I would enjoy composing, rehearsing and performing. There is a gothic touch in my music, but it can be generally categorized as Alternative Rock . I am not the one who arranges the songs, my arrangers are Miran Gurunian and Mazen Siblini, I give the go-ahead after debates and discussions, I get to say the final word, isn't that cool? Traditional Armenian songs have never been given a good rock before! This might be one of the major reasons why people enjoy it.
Don't you feel this limits your crowd?
Definitely not! The crowd and listeners are Armenian youngsters, Armenian adults, and non Armenians who like world music, rock, and mostly good music. Music is universal; do you really need to understand the lyrics to appreciate a song? Do you need to be a musician to feel the music?
So what's the point then?
I'm trying to introduce traditional Armenian songs that might very well disappear in time. I want the young Armenian generations to feel their roots, to abide by them if need be. Also, I'm trying to introduce Armenian music to the non Armenians.
We need a drink; what's your favorite?
Fernet Branca!
What she said, and a Jack please. So how about those flashy outfits?
I design my own outfits sometimes, and I've been a stylist for many yeas now, so I put them together. But since I came back to Beirut Krikor Jabotian, my friend and fashion designer, designs my concert outfits. His style is just what I like. It's as if his clothes were made for me
Do you like feathers?
Feathers? Mmm... Now that's the most interesting question I've heard. It depends where and how I am using them.
Hit the brakes
Frem's F1 prototype, his first step towards a life-long dream, is set to open the doors for the Lebanese car-making industry and prove that we too can create.
You've been something of a local hero for over a year now, how does it feel?
The first thing you need to understand is that this isn't about me. My pride is that through my achievement, I've helped push Lebanon's image into the international scene. Today someone in America might be reading about the car built in Lebanon. Under impossible conditions, under siege, the Lebanese managed to be constructive.
This is more than just a car then...
It is. My slogan is: ‘only your dreams can build your country.' This isn't an individual's project. I didn't want it to be about my work. My launch was on the highway, with real people around me, not ribbons and politicians. This was built for them, to open the door for Lebanese car-making.
It isn't a normal car anyway, is it?
It's what you call a supercar. The design and aerodynamics are somewhat out of the ordinary, as they should be. This was born of a dream and is meant to give hope. I didn't give it a diminished status, I parked it next to Class A cars, right from the start. The Frem F1 challenges any other car.
Toon out
Right to left: leading minister, services minister, regular minister, governmental minister, citizen.
Armand Homsi has spent the better part of his life speaking out through cartoons. Known mostly for his contributions to An Nahar, he never shies away from speaking his mind.
How long have you been drawing?
I've worked at An Nahar for 13 years and before that I was in France - but I wasn't drawing much there. In the '80s I worked in Commerce du Liban for about four years. I worked there while I was in college and as far as first experiences go it was great. Before that it was the school newspaper, if that really counts.
You didn't draw in France?
In Paris I worked as an interior designer, which is my actual field. I came back because of a competition that An Nahar held - I entered from Paris - and the prize was a job here. I initially started in Nahar el Shabeb but soon moved to An Nahar.
You left Paris for a competition? That's a bit romantic.
It's more that I left Lebanon in a bad way. I left in '89 and that ought to ring a bell. The war had become especially violent then and I had a job opportunity. But at some point I needed to come back, I knew all along I would. It's nice out there, for the first couple of years, a paradise perhaps. A button turns on a light, streets are clean, neat and no one thinks of politics. No one cares about politics. It's a different world but you're never really at ease.
So you're back here, but why drawing?
It's a daily cartoon and it's fun. A lot happens around here and you always have topics. What I usually do, if the headline of the day isn't a good start for an idea, is disregard it. Someone shook someone else's hand, great news, bad cartoon. I try to be close to the news. If the big story is dull, I might use the second best, or something completely different. I keep myself in the loop with news and that's how I can draw. The topics are fun to come up with and they keep me entertained.
Save our souls
Mama Jamale is a surrogate mother to more than 30 children. She has helped two generations of SOS Village children and looks forward to supporting many more.
Translated from its original Arabic.
How many children have you raised to date?
30 [laughs]
Wow, do you remember every one of them?
Are you kidding? Of course! They're still in my life and I still follow their's. Some are married, one in particular got married in the SOS Village. One got married in my parents' house.
What about your current children?
Now I have seven children. The eldest is 16 and the youngest is seven; two boys and five girls. This is just your average family, I often forget that we're part of an organization. There's a large group of people behind the upbringing, it's not just me. In my house it's my job but we let the experts do their jobs.
What's the youngest child you've ever had?
I had a 5-day old girl. She's 18 now and no longer lives with us but is in the studio with the other teens. She still sleeps over sometimes on the weekends and we're in touch all the time. She's my daughter you know. My seven year-old was brought in when she was three months old, my 14 year-old came in when she was ten months old and my eldest was a year and a half old when she was brought in.
Why are they brought in at such a young age?
Social issues. Typically the mother is not there or not available. Most of these kids have families outside and we interfere on the behalf of the children only if the need arises. The families sometimes see their kids once a month and we try to keep some level of communication between them all.
Posts
Help me, I’m linear!
Recent love, or not
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Linearity is overrated
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