The Beirut Banyan

GENXZ is a miniseries hosted by Sarah Al Asmar that tackles Lebanese political, economic and social issues from a youth perspective.

For this episode Sarah is joined by Elias Hankach, MP Metn District and member of Kataeb.

Click to watch video version: https://youtu.be/ytcMIS_SvnA

The discussion covers a deep dive into Roumieh and rethinking its prison location, a retrospective on Kataeb's role during the civil war, Syrian occupation and post-2005 politics, navigating ongoing paralysis amidst financial collapse and a firm belief (against the odds) that Lebanon's better days lie ahead.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

1:27 Roumieh

15:47 Kataeb

37:09 War

51:40 Paralysis

1:06:08 Believe

In memory of Milan Kundera.

Episode 369: 'Einmal ist keinmal' with Ambassador Andreas Kindl, taped live at Aaliya's Books.

Click to watch video version: https://youtu.be/4kTJ34QGw9c

A conversation that explores the day-to-day affairs of Germany's Ambassador to Lebanon, divergency between local expectations and the job description at hand, communication with local actors on the one side and Germany's foreign ministry on the other (and how wider narratives are shaped when formulating policy and diplomacy), and measuring regional security implications with domestic agency, from the consequences of political violence to the Syrian refugee crisis.

Andreas Kindl is the German Ambassador to Lebanon.

"The Time to Act is Now" is accessible via the following link:

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1312839/the-time-to-act-is-now.html

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

1:25 Your role in Lebanon

11:37 Communication

20:11 Capabilities

24:19 Support

38:03 Policy

54:31 "The Time to Act is Now"

1:05:29 Security matters

1:19:35 Local actors

1:24:43 Syrian refugee crisis

1:37:27 Q&A

2:10:55 Highlights

Episode 368: Meeting of Minds with Nadim Shehadi & Hicham Bou Nassif, taped live at Iris Domain.

Click to watch video version: https://youtu.be/KyIs_EBz5qY

Delving into childhood & academic experiences in retrospect, communitarianism, supranational identities, systemic paralysis & potential solutions to failed governance, geopolitical infringement on sovereignty, sub-state security & the collapse we’re living through.

Audience Q&A included in the episode, with special thanks to a dedicated group that stayed with us well past midnight, Sarmad Salibi for hosting the event and the audio technical support of both Samer Beyhum & George Wardini.

Nadim Shehadi is a columnist and Hicham Bou Nassif is a co-founder of Federal Lebanon.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

10:02 A background that has not been explored

31:54 1975

46:14 Fouad Chehab's legacy

59:14 Syria's role

1:04:13 Senate

1:14:00 March 14

1:33:13 Intellectual curiosity for federalism

2:04:13 Divorce

2:23:28 Q&A

Episode 367: Ten Thousand Stories in One with Rawi Hage, taped live at Aaliya's Books.

A conversation that brings childhood memories of Geitaoui, Rmeil and a bygone Achrafieh back to life.

Click to watch video version: https://youtu.be/2X5InI_nCEs

Rawi's experiences in the early years of the civil war, his brief move to Cyprus followed by a short return and an eventual departure to New York and Montreal are all covered, including his pursuit of photography and the inception for writing De Niro's Game.

The discussion includes a reflection of communal comfort and identity on the decline, a free expression that defined pre-civil war Beirut, a writing style that lends itself to bursts of creativity, and a look at secularists and outcasts in Beirut Hellfire Society .

Rawi Hage is a novelist.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

5:26 Different era

21:44 Early years of the civil war

47:56 Outcast

56:22 New York

1:15:32 Montreal

1:26:29 Beirut Hellfire Society

1:39:10 The end

1:53:20 Q&A

GENXZ is a miniseries that tackles Lebanese political, economic and social issues from a youth perspective.

For this episode Amira Kazoun joins as co-host and we introduce Wael Taleb to the podcast, a reporter and features writer at L'Orient Today and a gifted journalist.

Click to watch video-version: https://youtu.be/GfVximIb3jM

The discussion covers Wael's personal journey into journalism, how to best handle fake news and misinformation, neutral coverage vs narrative divergency and three recent pieces he wrote that go in-depth into cars without license plates, stateless people's right to nationality and differentiating limits to freedom of expression and opinions surrounding hate speech and religion.

The conversation also includes a back and forth on social attitudes towards Syrian refugees, how to best tackle prejudice by providing fact-based information and reflecting on preconceived judgement when covering opposing sides of any sensitive argument.

The articles referenced are linked below in order of appearance:

Cars with no license plates, a rising and dangerous phenomenon:

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1340775/cars-with-no-licence-plates-a-rising-and-dangerous-phenomenon.html

A proposed law could restrict stateless people’s access to Lebanese citizenship: What’s at stake?:

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1337646/a-proposed-law-could-restrict-stateless-peoples-access-to-lebanese-citizenship-whats-at-stake.html

Three Lebanese intellectuals tell us what they think of the recent Quran-burning incident in Sweden:

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1342003/three-lebanese-intellectuals-tell-us-what-they-think-of-the-recent-quran-burning-incident-in-sweden.html

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

2:05 Why are you a journalist

9:54 Handling fake news

22:38 Narrative

23:15 No license plates

33:05 Stateless people

1:02:13 Three Lebanese intellectuals

1:19:34 Exposure

GENXZ is a miniseries hosted by Sarah Al Asmar that tackles Lebanese political, economic and social issues from a youth perspective.

For this episode Sarah is joined by Jad Shahrour, spokesperson for the Samir Kassir Foundation.

Click to watch video version: https://youtu.be/4pv2AHv6cPY

The discussion covers the Samir Kassir Foundation's work in defending journalist rights and the wider struggle against impunity that transcends politics and the written word.

The conversation includes Samir Kassir's legacy, threats against digital platforms and revised legislation lacking due to ongoing political paralysis.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

0:35 Personal story

1:21 Samir Kassir Foundation

8:20 Impunity

14:04 Activist platforms

22:34 Threats against journalists

25:18 Student elections & censorship

33:14 Jean Kassir’s summoning

39:00 Emphasis on observers

47:24 Doing enough?

50:16 Political aspect

53:55 Dedicated to one man

59:32 Security problem

Episode 366: ‘Beirut is a River’ with Camille Ammoun, taped live at Aaliya's Books.

Click to watch video version: https://youtu.be/GGFMulaHEl4

A conversation that covers writing styles and technique, psycho-geography and urban planning, a look back at civil society's role in 2005 and 2019, a reading of 'Beirut is a River' and the universality within Beirut.

The discussion includes expectations from the Change bloc and whether new and old names entering parliament share the same political hurdles ahead.

Camille Ammoun is a writer and policy advisor.

The articles referred to are listed below in order of mention:

Not resilience, subsidence!

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1291894/not-resilience-subsidence.html

From Waste to Trash:

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1294851/from-waste-to-trash.html

Beyrouth est un fleuve:

https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1300886/beyrouth-est-un-fleuve.html

I am no longer a silo:

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1307682/i-am-no-longer-a-silo.html

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

3:21 Writing technique

7:18 Psycho-geography

12:14 Walk Beirut with you

19:50 Back in time

26:08 Beirut is a river

38:09 Universality

43:44 First person narrative

56:52 Downtown

1:04:01 2005 & 2009

1:12:18 Q&A

1:22:00 Civil society

1:37:27 Political personnel

1:56:34 The system

GENXZ is a miniseries hosted by Sarah Al Asmar that tackles Lebanese political, economic and social issues from a youth perspective.

For this episode Sarah is joined by Chrystine Mhanna, a journalist and human rights advocate.

Click to watch video version: https://youtu.be/b2HRIqtg_OQ

The discussion covers digital media trends, differentiating 'alternative' from 'activist' descriptions, narrative trends when covering marginalized communities and the wider struggle for human rights advocacy.

The conversation also includes a back and forth on sectarian governance and its reasons for failure, feminist advancements in today's political environment, and external factors that limit reform, accountability and good governance.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

1:28 Public attention

7:32 Media & marginalized communities

17:40 Political satire & sarcasm

20:35 Individual experience

23:50 ‘Activist’ vs ‘alternative’

27:50 Talk show vs podcast

30:49 National identity

36:04 Narrative disconnect

45:53 Sectarianism

55:07 Feminism

1:11:09 External factors preventing reform

1:22:40 Performance

1:27:19 Accountability

Episode 365: ‘This Place Called Home’ with Tom Young, taped live at Aaliya's Books.

A conversation that covers painting Lebanon’s ever-changing landscape, a process of healing personal wounds through art, overcoming immensely challenging moments through creativity and camaraderie, and a lifelong quest for meaning and truth.

The discussion includes shared tales of the Holiday Inn hotel and experiences of brushing with fate.

Tom Young is a painter. You can find him on Instagram [at]tomyoungart and his website www.tomyoung.com

Check out the episode's video version: https://youtu.be/aOhUvL7hT-0

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

3:09 Non-negotiable

12:04 Closer to this country

15:02 Robert Fisk

19:13 Detained

35:48 The second round

47:33 The Holiday Inn

1:22:02 October 17

1:35:04 Lollar notes

1:40:59 Q&A

GENXZ is a miniseries hosted by Sarah Al Asmar that tackles Lebanese political, economic and social issues from a youth perspective.

For this episode Sarah is joined by Antoine Habchi, MP Lebanese Forces.

Click to watch video-version: https://youtu.be/BzEzxzSj9d8

The discussions dives into cannabis legislation, a draft law yet to be implemented on its medicinal and industrial use, social attitudes surrounding its potential decriminalization and the general taboo of its recreational use.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

1:02 Legislation background

4:28 Draft law

7:06 Academic angle

10:37 Comparing cannabis to harder drugs

15:20 Industry

19:35 Economic sectors

22:32 Other country experiences

25:46 Security

26:54 Sovereignty

28:59 Parallel / illegal markets

34:20 Within proximity

39:14 Use vs distribution

42:10 Taboo vs decriminalization

45:14 The right track

48:28 Minority rights

51:20 Psychologist vs political perspective

53:17 Moving forward