Why I’ve Been Going to Tripoli So Often
Those of you who have had me in their social networks for a while now will probably know that a lot of what used to become blogposts, have now become almost instantaneous Instagram posts with captions and a shots taken mostly with my Fujifilm X-A1 mirrorless camera.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing photos from Beb El Tebbeneh and Jabal Mohsen on the #BebElDahab hashtag. Below, I’ll briefly explain what MARCH is doing up there, why it’s been so fucking awesome for me and what we’re hoping to do next.
What’s MARCH?
It’s what I mean by “we” when I’m explaining to someone why I need to be in Tripoli after a full night of clubbing.
MARCH was founded in 2011. It was created to help empower the many different elements of Lebanon’s civil society. We do that mainly through freedom of expression and fighting censorship. MARCH’s mission is to educate, motivate, and empower citizens to know and fight for their basic civil rights. We hope to raise a tolerant, more open Lebanese society so we can foster our diversity and promote equality between all taxpayers in hopes of reaching a genuine reconciliation among the various communities scarred by decades of violence, mistrust and hopelessness.
What’s MARCH Doing in Tripoli?
Our work in Tripoli revolves around our peace-building and de-radicalization efforts in the former warring neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Beb El Tebbeneh. At first, we painstakingly sought out and vetted 16 young men and women who had participated in the fighting in one way or another. Some were even part of radical extremist groups fighting on both sides in Syria and other parts of Lebanon.
Phase 1 — The Play, The Documentary
Over a period of 7 months, our volunteers were trained by many prominent drama and theater professionals. March hired Lucien Bourjeily to help mould the fighters into stage actors. The likes of George Khabbaz, Nadine Labaki, Rafic Ali Ahmad and many more helped the young men and women learn how to act on stage, build confidence and trust amongst each other. They also helped them write their own satirical play about their life and circumstances called “Love and War on the Rooftop”.
To make sure we document everything, everything was kept on film and MARCH produced a 50-minute documentary that depicts the transformation of the actors and the project from right after the clashes stopped, till the cross-country tour of the final play had wrapped up. Below is the trailer, and it will be available for the public very soon!
Phase 2 — The Cultural Cafe
The resounding success of the play, and its accompanying documentary, made us resolve to transform that success and momentum into something more permanent and sustainable.
That’s when we decided to take over a heavily damaged building on the former front line of “Syria Street” in Tripoli, and revamp it. A few weeks later, our fully-equipped cultural cafe: “Kahwetna — Cafe bi Kaffak”, was open.
The cafe is a safe space run by the former fighters themselves. It has a stage, screens, a sound-system and anything they might need to host their own shows, movie nights, karaoke nights and other events such as kids birthday parties and football match viewings. More importantly, it gave many young folks in both neighborhoods a place to hang out, to work and to unleash their talents on stage or learn from regular workshops carried out inside it. It also gave folks from outside of the two neighborhoods a chance to come visit the heart of them, and meet the people they had only heard bad things about over the news since 2008.
Phase 3 — Beb El Dahab
Months after the cafe opened its doors, it hosted the Cultural Blast festival, with a lineup of different comedy, musical and experimental acts from both Tripoli and other parts of Lebanon. The amazing success of both is what pushed the project even further, with plans to rehabilitate 90 stores on Syria Street and Muhajareen Street that were heavily damaged by the clashes.
Before the neighborhoods were called Beb El Tebbeneh and Jabal Mohsen, they were both known as “Beb El Dahab”. We loved that name, and it symbolizes a more prosperous, more peaceful time. That’s why we gave the rehabilitation project that name, and so far, several small business owners have decided to rename their establishments into: “Cafe Beb El Dahab” “Forn Beb El Dahab” and “Garage Beb El Dahab”!
What’s Next — Continuing and Expanding
A lot of the young folks from Tripoli and the region are extremely good musicians, singers and rappers. If you don’t believe me, check out this gem:
Our next plan is to try and create a recording studio for them in the cafe, so they can produce their own music, anytime without the exorbitant fees a musician usually needs to book a studio.
Tripoli isn’t our only focus though. In December, we launched a similar peace-building project in Akkar. This month, we kicked off our Beirut project with renowned Lebanese director and playwright Yehia Jaber: Hona Beirut.
How You Can Be Part of It
Check out our website, and our Virtual Museum of Censorship. Make sure you also follow MARCH on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
If you’d like to volunteer, you can email us and get in touch with us regarding the projects you’d be part of.
We are also participating in GivingLoop’s campaign to help fund more of our projects, with a small monthly amount. So, if you like what I do, check out our page on GivingLoop!
