The Beirut Banyan

Happy to announce that I'll be contributing a weekly opinion column for NowLebanon. New pieces will be narrated here on the podcast.

This week's article is "The Anarchist & The Dinosaur", accessible via the following link:

https://nowlebanon.com/the-anarchist-and-the-dinosaur/

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

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

The Written Word by Tala Ramadan

Episode 1 - Tala discusses predictive text technology, its impact on journalism and how wider issues surrounding AI affect Lebanon.

The article referenced in this piece, 'The Next Work by John Seabrook' is accessible via the following link:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/14/can-a-machine-learn-to-write-for-the-new-yorker

Available across audio podcast platforms. Simply search for The Beirut Banyan.

From long-form analysis to in-depth essays and books covering wide terrain, Tala Ramadan shares her appreciation for the written word.

Each episode will jump into a select work, reflecting on the topic at hand. Guests will include featured authors.

Tala Ramadan is a Beirut-based journalist focusing on scientific, social, humanitarian and educational issues. Her articles have appeared in news outlets including Annahar, Al Arabiya, The New Arab, SMEX, and Beirut City Guide.

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

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Tala Ramadan.

0:00 Intro

6:34 Dialogue

15:35 Public Space

22:04 Reaching Conclusion

32:45 Hezbollah

42:45 Built-in Prejudice

54:21 Starting Somewhere

1:07:48 Protest Demands

1:15:37 Beyond the Bars

1:27:30 Cultural Center

We're with Ali Baroudy for Episode 263 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/aJWvRUQrU_U

We discuss the importance of dialogue, better methods of communication and ways of focusing on shared grievances.

Our conversation includes addressing built-in prejudice and the fundamental need to start somewhere when it comes to political reform and a wider positive outlook 'beyond the bars'.

Ali Baroudy is a member of Minteshreen.

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

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

3:14 Fait Accompli?

10:09 Why is this happening?

17:30 Explanation Problems

22:09 Missing from the Story

26:32 Port Blast

32:35 Narrowness

We're with Olga Kavran for Episode 262 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/hpo11X6FtjU

We discuss the cost of impunity, budgetary constraints and the potential shutting down of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Olga Kavran is former Head of Legacy & Outreach at the Special Tribunal for 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

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

A new weekly mini-series for The Beirut Banyan.

The Written Word by Tala Ramadan

Available across audio podcast platforms and YouTube. Simply search for The Beirut Banyan.

From long-form analysis to in-depth essays and books covering wide terrain, Tala Ramadan shares her appreciation for the written word.

Each episode will jump into a select work, reflecting on the topic at hand. Guests will include featured authors.

Tala Ramadan is a Beirut-based journalist focusing on scientific, social and educational issues. Her articles have appeared in news outlets including Annahar, Al Arabiya, The New Arab, SMEX, and Beirut City Guide.

Music by Marc Codsi.

0:00 Intro

2:35 Covering the Story

9:27 Investigative Process

19:01 The Public Source

31:34 Avoiding the Usual?

38:52 The Gap

47:13 Impossible to Reform

53:17 Getting Worse?

We're with Kareem Chehayeb for Episode 261 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/8Vx3HBjADk4

We discuss the current media landscape, investigative journalism and the role of independent outlets like The Public Source.

Our conversation includes reflecting on failed attempts at reform, possibilities for positive change at a later stage and the capabilities of alternative outlets to reclaim "public space" while offering a platform for disenfranchised and marginalized groups.

Kareem Chehayeb is a Beirut-based journalist, researcher, and political analyst.

Follow Kareem on Twitter: @chehayebk

And check out The Public Source: https://thepublicsource.org

The articles referenced in this episode are listed below in order of appearance:

The Killing of Omar Tayba: A Visual Investigation of a Protester’s Death in Tripoli

https://thepublicsource.org/killing-omar-tayba-visual-investigation-protesters-death-tripoli

Between Kafala and Governmental Neglect: How Domestic Workers Are Left to Starve During a Global Pandemic

https://thepublicsource.org/between-kafala-governmental-neglect

The Lebanese Revolution: A New Chapter of Kafala Misery

https://thepublicsource.org/lebanese-revolution-kafala-misery

‘Little hope left’: Lebanon’s paralysis and a collapsing state

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/24/little-hope-left-lebanons-paralysis-and-a-collapsing-state

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

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

1:48 Optimism

12:25 Hope in the Future

18:26 Foundation

24:52 Sectarianism

33:29 Missed Opportunity

38:35 Economics

43:48 Sovereignty

1:00:08 An Independent Voice

1:06:52 Kulluna Irada

We're with Albert Kostanian for Episode 260 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/wMzOpwbCP0A

We discuss nuanced optimism when it comes to the future of Lebanon and a wider calling for political agency and shared destiny.

Our conversation includes examining illusive pillars that are gradually fading, missed opportunities at addressing reform and the power of independent voices emerging on alternative and mainstream media.

Albert Kostanian is the host of Vision 2030 on LBCI and board chairman for Kulluna Irada.

For more information on Kulluna Irada:

http://kulluna-irada.org

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

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

2:47 Storytelling

6:14 Difficulty of the Moment

10:27 Change

26:49 Repetition

43:20 Academia

50:55 A Path Forward

We're with Mona Fawaz for Episode 259 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/hjUradkdq_U

We discuss how we met on my WalkBeirut tour in 2009, a shared passion for storytelling and Mona's illustrious career in urban planning and political activism.

Our conversation includes the immense difficulty of the moment, a theory of change for Lebanon and the ability for academia to take the classroom to the street - in a literal sense during the first weeks of the October 17 Uprising and in shaping protest movement discussions on issues ranging from political and economic reform to local urban matters.

Mona Fawaz is a Professor in Urban Studies and Planning and the Coordinator of the Graduate Programs in Urban Planning and Design at the American University of Beirut.

The article discussed in this episode is linked below:

https://tcf.org/content/report/beirut-madinati-prospects-urban-citizenship/

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

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

2:17 Online Markers

7:38 Online Caution

15:41 Larger Problem

22:49 Part of the Story

30:03 Information

37:07 Misinformation

We're with Aya Iskandarani for Episode 258 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/xoCRIGTgvNY

We discuss the nine month marker following the Beirut port blast, and the challenge of 'marking' without justice. Our conversation includes the difficulty of open debate online - including Clubhouse - and the precautions taken when covering Hezbollah-related issues in Lebanon.

We also talk about the emotions involved when covering a story at home, and the challenge journalists face when confronting misinformation with fact-based reporting.

Aya Iskandarani is a correspondent at The National.

Follow Aya on Twitter: @Aya_Isk

The articles discussed in this episode are listed below (in order of appearance):

'Lebanon: Hezbollah critics report threats on Clubhouse app':

https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/lebanon-hezbollah-critics-report-threats-on-clubhouse-app-1.1200400

'Clubhouse App Creates Space for Open Talk in Middle East'

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/02/world/middleeast/clubhouse-iran-egypt-mideast.html

''There is nothing we can’t sell’: smugglers siphon off scarce Lebanese goods to Syria':

https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/there-is-nothing-we-can-t-sell-smugglers-siphon-off-scarce-lebanese-goods-to-syria-1.1196239

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

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

2:16 Pursuits Abroad

7:23 Common Identity

13:46 Social Pact

22:34 Higher Interest of the States

40:02 Institutionalized Country

51:52 October 17

1:02:21 Groups & Individuals

We're with Ramzi Abou Ismail for Episode 257 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/QC4vgX8Jby4

We discuss political psychology within the Lebanese context and dive into issues related to shared identity, Lebanon's social pact and a lacking higher interest of the state.

Our conversation includes the role of institutions when examining common destiny, politics born out of October 17 and the relationship between groups and individuals and a sense of belonging.

Ramzi Abou Ismail is a Political Psychologist and Doctoral Researcher at University of Kent.

Follow Ramzi on Instagram: @the.political.psychologist

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

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.